178 



Ginkgophyllum Australis. Nov. sp. 



For the sake of reference I have ventured to give this name 

 to fragments of a plant appearing in the shaly bed at Lord's 

 Hill, New Town, associated with Baiera, Salisburia, Ptero- 

 phyllum, Thinnfeldia, etc. 



It consists of the terminal or rudimentary cluster of 

 cuneate leaflets corresponding very closely to some of those 

 attached to plant G. Grasseti, Sap., figured and described in 

 " Cours de Botanique Fossile," by M. B. Benault (Paris, 

 1885, pp. 67-68, pi. 3, fig. 1.) 



Leaves grouped in a curving, clasping cluster, decurrent, 

 segments narrowly cuneate, dividing dichotomously into a 

 crowded head of diminishing segments, some of which are 

 truncate at apex, others obtusely rounded, and all more or 

 less incurved. 



The character of the genus is well-marked in these re- 

 spects, and in the thickish fleshy appearance of the dichoto- 

 mously divided leaflets, each of which is traversed longitu- 

 dinally by fine but distinctly marked nerves, which, at the 

 termination of the more obtusely-pointed ones, gradually 

 coalesce. Length of average segment, 13 millimetres ; 

 greatest breadth, about 3 to 3| millimetres. Five succes- 

 sively branching segments in the space of 18 millimetres. 

 Together with these I discovered one or two impressions of 

 larger curved, short, broad, cuneate segments, truncate above, 

 traversed by numerous fine, closely set nerves. 



The fragment appears to be much curved, as if its petiole 

 were affixed to stem in a decurrent clasping manner. It is 

 only a fragment, however, about 27 millimetres long ; 21 

 millimetres broad at its convexly truncate apex ; and narrows 

 to 14 millimetres at the base of the fragment. It is possible 

 that it may be the terminal part of one of the larger 

 segments placed lower on the stem of G. Australis. I think 

 in' the meantime the reference to the genus Ginkgophyllum 

 is fairly justifiable. It is interesting to observe that this 

 genus is' associated with the rocks of Permiau age in 

 Em-ope. 



Branchlet of a Supposed Conifer. 



I figure a small branchlet of what may be a conifer, also 

 from the shaly beds at Lord's Hill, New Town. The branchlet 

 is about 80 millimetres in length, composed of a central 

 simple linear stem, from which arise at an acute angle about 

 6 pairs of sub-opposite filamentous branches, each about 

 from 30 to 35 millimetres long. The stem is a little over a 

 millimetre broad, swelling out slightly where the branches 

 emerge ; the breadth of the branchlets are less than a milli- 



