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Sporocarps in Erian Shale of Columbus. 137 
On SpoRocARPS DISCOVERED BY Pror. KE. ORTON IN 
THE ERIAN SHALE OF COLUMBUS, OHIO. 
By Sir J. Wo. Dawson, F.R.S., &e. 
In a paper published in this journal in 1884, I directed 
attention to certain specimens from Brazil and from Ohio, 
which I placed in connection with the curious round bodies 
from the Erian or Devonian of Kettle Point, Lake Huron, 
discovered by Sir W. H. Logan, and which I described as 
Sporangites Huronensis. These bodies were shown to be 
macrospores, and, on the analogy of the Brazilian species, 
to have been probably enclosed in sporocarps resembling 
those of the modern genus of Rhizocarps known as Salvinia, 
and found floating in water, with a few green leaves and 
rounded sporocarps on the bases of the leaves or at the 
proximal ends of the roots. These curious little plants, 
insignificant in the modern world, would seem to have been 
‘vastly abundant in the Erian period, inasmuch as hundreds 
of feet of the Ohio black shale are filled with them; and 
this formation extends across the State of Ohio, and is 
found in New York and in Ontario as well. But though 
the macrospores are thus abundant, the sporocarps, which 
it was presumed had contained them, were absent. Quite 
recently, however, Prof. Orton has found at Columbus, 
Ohio,’ well-preserved sporocarps flattened like those from 
Brazil, exhibiting their cellular structure quite distinctly 
under the microscope, and sometimes showing the impres- 
sions of the contained macrospores. Along with these sporo- 
carps were others of quite different form, and apparently 
belonging to a very distinct species, though probably of the 
same general type—that is, allied or belonging to the 
Rhizocarps. Prof. Orton has kindly furnished me with 
specimens of these curious bodies, and the following notes 
relate to their characters, What should now be looked for 
is some indication of the foliage of these interesting plants, 
which may prove to have been like that of the modern Sal- 
' The specimens were collected by Mr. C. J. Walsh. 
