236 Reports and Proceedings — 



the name of the "Waipara formation. A species of Belemnitella occurs in beds 

 belonging to the Ototara group, and also in the Waipara formation. Volcanic action 

 commenced in the North Island during the deposition of the "Waitewata group, and 

 has since been almost continuous in the northern, western, and central parts of the 

 island. In the South Island the volcanic formations appear to belong to the later 

 Cretaceous, Oligocene, and Miocene periods. The volcanic rocks of the Chatham 

 Islands belong chiefly to the Upper Oligocene. 



Discussion. — Mr. Etheridge remarked on what appeared, from the author's account, 

 to be the great longevity of species in that part of the globe. If the forms had been 

 accurately determined, the per-centage that survived from Eocene and Miocene times 

 into the recent period was very far in excess of what survived in Europe. The 

 Belemnites, if found in Europe in Tertiary Beds, would have been regarded as un- 

 doubtedly derived from some Secondary rock. He hoped that researches in the 

 Australian Miocene rcx;ks might throw some light on this subject, but as yet little 

 had been done. 



Mr. Blanford stated that in India, so far as was known, there was a marked dis- 

 tinction to be drawn between the Eocene rocks, which were mostly Nummulitic, and 

 those of Cretaceous age. In illustration of the occui'rence of unlooked-for forms, he 

 mentioned the startling fact that Dr. "Waagen had lately found Ammonites associated 

 with Goniatites in Carboniferous rocks. 



Prof. T. Rupert Jones recalled the intermingling of Cretaceous and Tertiary genera 

 in the north-western territories of America, and the combination of forms noticed by 

 Mr. Jenkins in Japanese strata, where Middle Tertiary and other shells, which had 

 been regarded as extinct, were found with recent species. 



Prof. Ramsay remarked that when in one part of the world there was unconformity 

 of structure and a break in the sequence of the rocks, there must of necessity have 

 been in some other part an undisturbed area in which the different forms of life would 

 have been preserved, and where, therefore, it was probable that the representatives of 

 the Transitional period between the unconformable rocks would be found. 



2. " On the Tree-ferns of the Coal-measures, and their relations to other living 

 and fossil forms." By W. Carruthers, Esq., F.R.S., F.G.S. 



After referring to the remarkably uniform character of the order of Ferns through- 

 out their whole history on the globe, the author pointed out that there existed in the 

 Coal-measures two very distinct kinds of fern-stems, -^ach represented by several 

 species. Both of these were very different from the Ghelepteris-gxow^ already described 

 by the author in the Journal of the Society. The first group had a stem-structure 

 like that of living tree-ferns. In them the vascular elements of the stem formed a 

 closed cylinder round the pith ; and the vascular bundles for the leaves were given off 

 from the out-turned edges of the cylinder, where, at regular intervals, corresponding 

 to the position of the leaves, narrow meshes occur for this purpose. To this group 

 were referred the stem described by Lindley and Hutton as Caulopteris Phillipsii, 

 and several hitherto undescribed species from Radstock and Newcastle. No materials 

 bad yet been detected which could throw any light on the foliage or fruit of these 

 fern-stems. The second group included some stems the casts of which the author 

 had obtained from Radstock, and the root-structures from Halifax. By the help of 

 a fine series of specimens in the collections of the British Museum, he was able to 

 correlate the different parts of these plants. The stems had been described by Corda 

 under the name of Stemmatopteris. They differed from the other group chiefly in 

 having the ends of the vascular plates, as seen in the transverse section, turned in- 

 wards, and having the bundles of the leaves formed in a complete condition in the 

 axis of the stem. The author showed that the relation of the different parts of the 

 stem in the species of Caulopteris was the same as in a first year's dicotyledon, while 

 in the latter group the analogy of the structures was with the monocotyledonous 

 stem. The roots, which surrounded the older portions of the stem, formed the well- 

 known genus Psaronius of Cotta; and as this was the earlier name, it was proposed to 

 retain it for the genus. There was associated with all the fine specimens of this 

 group, which he had received from J. M'Murtrie, Esq., F.G.S. , foliage which had 

 been described as CyatJieites arborcscens. Although this had not been observed or- 

 ganically connected with the stems, the author adduced several reasons for believing 

 that it belonged to them. If this connexion could be established, it was of the 

 greater importance, as this form was known in fruit ; and the fruit established that 

 its aflanities were Avith the living Alsophilas and Cyatheas. Many species of this 

 genus occurred in the continental coal-fields; but the author believed that all the 



