JReviews — W. Carruthers on the Fossil Cycadece. 575 



Brongniart, who considers their Cycadean claims to be very doubtful^ 

 and say that, as far as the evidence supplied by the stem goes, their 

 affinities are much more with the vascular Cryptogams than with 

 any tribe of Phanerogams." (p. 676.) 



So far as our present knowledge extends, the Cycadece are re- 

 markably absent from beds of Tertiary age. " The stem from the 

 Paris basin," writes the author,. " referred by Presl to this order, 

 under the name Zamites Brongniartii, is, as Brongniart originally 

 described it, an Endogen. The only other supposed indication of 

 Tertiary CycadecB is the fragment of a leaf {Zamites areticus) described 

 by Goppert, from the Miocene beds atKook, in Greenland." (p. 677.) 

 He adds : — "It cannot be supposed that Cycadece were absent from the 

 vegetation of the Tertiary period,, their non-discovery hitherto must 

 be taken as another instance of the imperfection of the record of 

 extinct life with which students have to deal." (p. 677.) 



A general bibliography is given of this class from the first notice 

 of them by ManteU.^ in 1822, followed by Presl (1825), Brongniai^ 

 (1828), liiudley and Hutton (1833), Sternberg (1838), Gopperi 

 (1844), and Oldham and Morris in 1862. 



This is followed by a clear synopsis of the genera and species of 

 the fossil stems hitherto discovered in Britain, and which includes 

 six genera,, and two others not hitherto recognized as British, namely 

 Crossozamia, Pomel ; and Raumeria, Goppert. 



The genera are arranged under four tribes : — 



Firstly, the CYCADE^ : including the gemis JSucMandia, Presl ; and species, 

 B. anomalttf B. Mantelli, £. squamosa, B..Millenana. The two first-named 

 species being from the "Wealden, and the two last-named from the Oolite. 



Secondly, the ZAMIE^ : including the genus Taiesia, Carr. ; and species Y. 

 Morrisii, Lower Cretaceous; T. gracilis, Lias; Y. crassa, M. Oolite; Y. 

 Joassiana, M, Oolite r the genus Fittonia, Carr., and species F. squamata, U. 

 Cretaceous ; the genus Crossozamia, Pomel, and species G. Moreaui, Pomel, 

 Jurassic ; and C. Buvignieri, Pomel, Jurassic ; both from St. Michel, France. 

 ; Thirdly, the "WILLIAM SONIE^ : including the genus Williamsonia, Carr., 

 and species W. gigas, W. pecten, W. hastula, all from the Inferior Oolite. 



Fourthly, the BENNETTITE^ : including the genus Bennettites, Carr., and 

 species B. Saxbyanus, Wealden; B. Gibsonianus, Lr. Greensand;. B. maximus, 

 Wealden ; B. Portlandicus, Lr. Purbeck ; and B. PeachiamiSy M. Oolite : the 

 genus MantelUa, Brong., and species M. nidiformis, M. intermedia, M. micro- 

 phylla, from the Lr. Purbeck ; and M. inclusa, from the Lower Cretaceous : the 

 genus Raumeria, Goppert, and species R. Reichenbachiana, from (ralicia, and 

 R. Sehulziana, from Silesia. 



Mr. Carruthers gives a most careful and detailed description of the 

 characters upon which each of the fossil genera are established. 



Commencing with Bucklandia, Mr. Carruthers adduces reasons for 

 considering it the same as Clathraria, of Brongniart, and as closely 

 related to the living Cycas. The author observes (p. 683) : " The 

 stems were cylindrical, attaining a height of at least four feet, and 

 sometimes dividing dichotomously. The stem exhibits a series of 

 alternating swellings and constrictions, and is covered with more or 

 less rhomboidal scars, arranged in close proximity to each other, and 

 in a quincuncial manner," etc. 



By a reference to the recent Cycas circinalis, Mr. Carruthers clearly 

 explains the mode of growth in BucMandia : — " The remarkable cor- 



