402 Linnarsson — On the Eophyton Sandstone. 



to the Lycopodiacece. This opinion is founded on the resem- 

 blance between the leaves of Cordaites and Eophyton. It is, how- 

 ever, doubtful, whether the organs interpreted as leaves in 

 Eophyton are really such. Judging from the figures given by 

 Professor Torell, they seem to be the same parts which I have 

 described as portions of stems, and which, from their branching not 

 resembling that of compound leaves, their frequent convex shape, 

 etc., I could not regard as leaves. In the restoration given by 

 Dawson/ the stem of Cordaites has very short joints, and if that be 

 true, there is still less reason to assume a nearer relation between 

 Cordaites and Eophyton, the stem of the latter, at least in the 

 specimens hitherto found, showing no articulation. Thus, though a 

 great uncertainty still remains as to the place of Eophyton in the 

 natural system, it can hardly be doubted that it is of a far higher 

 organization than any plant hitherto known from the oldest deposits. 



With regard to the mode of fossilization of the Eophyton, it seems 

 probable that the plants immersed in the water made impressions on 

 the mud upon its bottom, and that, after the plants themselves had 

 been dissolved, their impressions were filled with sand. In this 

 manner the fact is to be explained that one specimen often is, as it 

 were, cut off when in contact with another. We must accordingly 

 suppose that the mutilated specimen has m^de an impression, and 

 that afterwards the other has been laid across and partially oblite- 

 rated it. 



Eophyton Torelli, n. sp., Plate XIII. — Although it is very uncertain 

 whether this species has any nearer relation to the preceding typical 

 species of the genus Eophyton, I have thought fit to describe it under 

 the same generic name. Extensive researches into the plant-remains 

 of the Eophyton sandstone are still necessary, before any certain 

 generic characters can be given, and there is therefore reason in 

 keeping them all provisionally under the name Eophyton. 



Eophyton Torelli is much scarcer than E. Linnoeanum ; at least, I 

 have found it only on one slab of sandstone, some parts of which are 

 represented in Plate XIII. 



In Fig. A is shown a stem-fragment about 90 millimetres in length. 

 The foremost half, the breadth of which is 10 — 12 millimetres, is 

 very convex and distinctly angular, so that four sides are visible. 

 Both the outer sides are almost vertical — in the figure the left side 

 cannot be seen, but it is of about the same breadth as the right. The 

 upper sides are gently sloping and somewhat concave, the left being 

 broader than the right. The hinder part becomes gradually more 

 and more depressed, and consequently the breadth increases, until it 

 attains 19 millimetres. The surface is generally smooth, except 

 that on the hinder part some very faint traces of longitudinal furrows 

 are seen. The most characteristic parts of this specimen are four 

 scales, which seem to be spirally arranged round the axis, but, as 

 far as visible, at unequal distances. The first (a), which is placed on 

 the left margin of the depressed portion, is broadly lanceolate and 

 has a length of about 8 millimetres and a maximum breadth of 4 

 1 Acadian Geology, second ed. p. 458. 



