1876.] O. Feistmantel — Fossil 'Plants from Bcmiganj Coal-field. 227 



to wliicli of them it should more correctly be brought nearest, cannot be 

 well decided, as ovx fern exhibits no fructification. Seonionitis has a 

 fructification along the secondary veins, while Pte. sagittaefolia has o£ 

 course a marginal fructification. It is a very remarkable fossil, and 

 I call the species after Mr. Wood-Mason. 



Another very marked fossil is a species of the genus Gangamopferis, 

 a form intermediate between Olossopteris and Cyclopteris, that is to say, 

 it has no midrib ; and the veins radiate towards the margins, and are not 

 forked, as in Cyclopteris, but. form areoles. Formerly, some forms of this 

 genus with narrow net-venation were described as Cyclopteris, but only lately 

 have their true relations been determined and explained by Mr. McCoy in his 

 Prodrome. From the Damudas I have already described 2 species ; this 

 from the Eaniganj field is a third, and I name it Qangamopt. Whittiana, 

 after Mr. Whitty of Kurhurbali. It has very wide hexagonal and poly- 

 gonal areoles. Amongst living forms, AntTopliyiijm comes nearest to it, 

 and of this the varieties without midrib. Ganganopteris is a mesozoie 

 genus. 



Of the genus Glossopteris, I have first to mention Glossopteris angtisti- 

 folia, a species which was first described by Brongniart but has since not 

 been recognized ; Mr. Wood-Mason has brought several specimens of it 

 which are more complete than those Brongniart had : they show the apex, 

 show well that the venation was incorrectly drawn by Brongniart, and 

 show besides this a marginated margin, Avhich perhaps indicates the fructifi- 

 cation — which would therefore be fructification Pteridis. This is the most 

 important point in this Glossopteris, and we have thus three different 

 fructificating states of Glossopteris : Kamthi, Australia, Rq,niganj. 



Besides this Gl. angustifolla, there oeciu's very commonly at Eaniganj 

 a form which is equally frequent throughoiit the whole Damudas. I name 

 it Glossopt. communis. It is of various dimensions, sometimes very large, 

 with the midrib distinct, and the secondary venation very narrowly 

 arculated. The thorough examination of the Glossop>terides should yield 

 altogether a great many species. 



That this genus occurs in Australia in the lower portion of the coal- 

 strata also, does not affect the question of the age of oiu- Damudas ; if 

 such considerations were allowed weight, we woiild be obliged, for instance, 

 to consider the Salt Range Trias as carboniferous, merely on account of 

 the i:)resence of the genus JBelleroplion, or vice versa. 



I have now only to mention a Sagcnopteris from the Eaniganj field, 

 which is described as Sagenopt. polyphylla : it is again a fern with net- 

 venation, and it belongs to a genus which in Em*ope is mesozoie and Ilhastic. 



Besides these plants brought by Mr. Wood-Mason there are not many 

 moi'e species known from this coal-field altogether. 



