OF CENTRAL INDIA AND BENGAL. 329 



The total number of fossil species of this genus which had been de- 

 scribed up to the date (1850) of Unger's valuable Genera et species plan- 

 tarum fossilium, was eight, considering the two distinct forms described 

 by Brongniart and by Lindley and Hutton under the same name as two 

 species. Of these eight, G. danceoides (Royle) has long been known to be 

 not a Glossopteris. G. dubia of Brongniart, is now considered a Lepido- 

 phyllum, but is in any case a Carboniferous plant: G. Willsoniana 

 f Sternberg) is a Tceniopteris ; while the G. Phillips'ii of Brongniart, 

 from Scarborough, is also a true Tceniopteris, and G. Phillipsii of 

 Lindley and Hutton is considered, on the high authority of Unger, to be 

 identical with the Pecopteris longifolia, and paucifolia of Phillips, and is 

 transferred to the genus Acrostichites of Goppert or Sagenopteris. An- 

 other species, not given in Unger, is G. acaulis of McClelland (a) which 

 is undoubtedly not a glossopteris. There remain therefore only tha 

 Glossopteris angustifolia, G. Browniana, and G. linearis representing the 

 genus. All of these are peculiarly Indian or Australian species, and are 

 characteristic of our " Damuda" rocks, whatever the geological age of 

 these may be. But there is not in this important and numerously re- 

 presented genus a single species known from any group of rocks in 

 Europe, the geological position of which is established, [b) This is of im- 

 portance as connected with the age of these rocks. 



If we consider, with Unger and others that the Glossopteris danceoides 

 of Royle is a true Pecopteris, we shall then have not a single represen- 

 tative of that genus Tceniopteris in these " Damuda" rocks. The Poacites 

 of McClelland (2 species) are based upon specimens of stems of other 

 plants. 



From this enumeration it follows, that we have as yet but few data on 

 which to base any comparison with European rocks. The occurrence of 



(a) Report of Survey of part of India 1848-49, Calcutta 1850. 



(6) Bronn. in his lists, Lethaea Geognostica, gives only the three species noted above, and 

 gives all as Carboniferous. 1856, 



2 ff 



