Professor Dyer — On Oolitic Coniferw. 195 



branching. Don, in his original description oi i\Q ^^mis Athrotaxis (I.e., p. 174), 

 remarked that the recent species frequently present "a dichotomous appearance, 

 which arises from the non- development of one of the lateral branches, the 

 normal arrangement being a primary axis with two opposite lateral branches." 

 If this view is accepted, it is immediately applicable to Figs. 3 and 4 of PI. V. 



4. A. longirameus, Dyer. 



Caulerpites longirameus, Sternb., I.e., p. 103, t. 29, f. 3. 



I attach this name to specimens in which the stems are stouter than in the 

 other species, and at the same time elongated, and very sparingly branched ; the 

 vertical series of leaves are also more numerous (PL V., Fig. 5). 



5. A. ? laxus, Dyer, 



Oaulerpites laxus, Sternb. 1. c. p. 22, t. 5, f, 1. 

 G. ocreatus, Sternb. 1. c. p. 103, t. 29, f. 2. 



I am strongly impressed with the belief that the two names just cited belong 

 to the same plant, the one being founded on the lower, the other on the upper 

 portion of a branch. The affinities of the species are, however, to the last 

 degree doubtful; it appears to have had scale-like leaves, fiaally becoming 

 distant and indurated (PI, V., Fig. 6). 



G. ocreatus, Sternb., it lias been suggested to me, may be correlated with the 

 branchlet figured by Mr. Carruthers from the Oxford Clay of Chippenham, 

 Wiltshire (Geol. Mag., Vol. VI., PI. II., Fig. 11). That, however, 

 appears to exhibit a two-fifths phyllotaxis, and may therefore belong to an 

 Angiosperm. 



IV. Condylites, Dyer, gen. nov., PL V., Fig. 7, 



In the Haberlein collection there is a specimen (PI. V., Fig. 7) 

 apparently unique, which, though offering far from satisfactory 

 material for description, appears to me too important to be allowed 

 to remain unnoticed. Its general facies leaves little doubt in my 

 mind that it is truly Coniferous, but I am unable to assign it a place 

 in any known genus, I propose, therefore, to establish it as a new 

 generic type, under the name Condylites, which I have had suggested 

 to me as indicating the singular elbow-like insertion of the branches. 



According to my interpretation the leaves were scale-like and 

 closely imbricate. It seems by no means improbable that the re- 

 mains of foliage referred above to Athrotaxites longirameus may 

 belong to this plant; they have at any rate considerable resemblance. 



The cones, although apparently lateral, were really terminal, the 

 continuation of the stem being a lateral branch. The scales were, 

 as far as I can judge, imbricate (PI. V., Fig. 7a), and not " valvate," 

 as in such genera as Callitris. On the whole, I conclude its place to 

 be amongst Cupressinece, and its nearest affinities with Thuya. In 

 that genus, however, the female cones are terminal on lateral 

 branches, and the scales of the cone are decussately opposite ; I 

 doubt if this was the case in Condylites. In default of a more 

 complete analysis of the cone structure, the following must serve as 

 a diagnosis of the genus. 



Gondylites, Dyer, gen. nov., Eamuli lignescentes foliis minutis persistentibus squa- 

 matim tecti. Strobili terminales, quasi in cymam uniparam alternatim dispositi, 

 Bubglobosi depressi; squamse admodum paucse, imbricatse, rotundatae, coriacese (an 

 Bublignosse). 



G. squamatus. Dyer, species unica. 



« o c- « 



Adopting Parlatore's division of the Coniferce into the two tribes 

 AhietinecB and Taxineee, we find that all the species from Solenhofen 



