FBENS— TRIPHYLLOPTERIDE.E— PSEUDOPECOPTERIS. 29 



Pseiidopecopteris squamosa may readily be distinguished from Pseiulo- 

 pecopteris dUusiloha by tlie more regular, compact, oblique jjinmiles, which 

 are much less constricted at the base, the texture being thinner and not so 

 leathery, and the rugosity, irregularly striate in the direction of the nerves, 

 while the thin and rather close nerves of the former may be observed with- 

 out the aid of a glass in most of the specimens. 



Locality. — From Pitcher's coal bank. Specimen in the cabinet of Dr. 

 J. H. Britts, Clinton, Missouri. 



PSEITDOPECOPTEEIS Sp. 



PI. VII, Figs. 4, 5. 



The peculiar specimens figured are the largest of the very few 

 fragments of this plant I have seen among the hundreds of fossils from 

 Owens's bank, Henry County, Missouri. The larger fragment appears to 

 represent the upper portion of a lateral secondary pinna. The raclais is 

 strong, sulcate, and apparently obscurely alate. The lateral pinnae are 

 alternate or subalternate, straight, rigid, with a rather strong percurrent, 

 narrowly winged rachis, which is produced as a spine. The pinnules are 

 close, generally slightly overlapping, 3 to 5-lobate below, passing into pinnse, 

 ovate, round, reniform, or obovate above, attached by a very broad subpedicel 

 to the decurreut lamina along the rachis. The limb, wliich is very thick 

 and conaceous, is covered by rough striae or rows of scales or closely 

 appressed hairs radiating in a system parallel to the nervation, which is 

 too much obscured for definite discernment. The other fragment, wliile 

 conforming with the characters of the specimen just described, is specially 

 notable on account of the well-developed terminal spine. 



Although the fragments apparently belong to a hitherto undescribed 

 species, I hesitate to so designate them on account of lack of sufficient 

 material. The more distinctive characteristics of the plant are the very 

 small size of the pinnules, the broad footstalks of the latter, the rounded or 

 semitruncate lobes and pinnules, which are frequently reniform, and the 

 thick, scaly surface. The fragment clearly belongs to the Pseiidopecopteris 

 dbtusildha group, and is perhaps nearer to Ps. trifoliolata or Ps. nummularia 

 than to any other known species. The specimens in hand are much more 



