3921.) The Highth Indian Science Congress. clix 
These fern-like plants are eer distinctly older than the 
oldest ae ¥ the Gondwana Syster 
now to the floras of the ‘eeangreng System itself. 
The eecuapanying Table (Table I) shows the composition of 
the more important fossil floras of India 
As a glance at the Table will show, the great majority of 
the known species of Indian fossil plants come under the Gond- 
wana res which itself embraces a number of fairly well- 
marked flor 
1 said an earlier stage that there is evidence of wide- 
spread alisinkier | in Gondwanaland towards the close of the Pa- 
indubitable marks of ice action, this conclusion is supported 
by the total pears of all signs of life in the deposits in ques- 
tion. But as soon as there was a return to a warmer tempera- 
ture the seedate waste laid bare by the retreating ice was in- 
vaded by life, for in the strata immediately overlying the gla- 
cial deposits are found the fossil remains of a few plants and 
animals. 
These plants constitute the Talchir flora, _the earliest of 
he Gondwana Series. The Karharbari stage 
sian niely overlying the Talchir contains 
a much richer assemblage of plants, and also 
coal seams—facts pointing to climatic conditions well suited to 
the growth of a copious vegetation. But the few plants that 
have been found in the Talchir stage have a special interest at- 
taching to them, for they were among the pe of the invad- 
ing army that was soon to colonize the lan 
The question may naturally be a sked : Were these early 
arrivals structurally better fitted haat their followers for a 
place in the vanguard of the advancing host ? so, what 
advantage did they possess over e's others, chat enabled them 
to Prscor pales in their migration 
Talchir 
Knstastiaet: 
But it has for some time been suspected that at least one of 
these early Gondwana plants bore seeds that had very much 
the same appearance as the winged fruit or ‘samara’ of the 
modern elm (Ulmus). The conjecture is at any rate worth 
ciation with leaves of Cordaites and Gangamopteris. They have, 
owever, not been seen actually attached to either of these 
Plants. Other seeds of a similar age, differing in the possession 
