﻿part 1] FROM THE BRITISH COAL MEASURES. 45 



division of the cubitus. I am of opinion that this supposition is 

 the correct one. 



, The outer of the two veins is undivided, and reaches the inner 

 margin beyond the middle of the wing. The second or innermost 

 vein runs fairly parallel to the first along its whole length, giving 

 off, as it does so, four inwardly-directed twigs. The first and 

 fourth veins fork before reaching the margin. The whole vein 

 ends on the margin in six twigs. 



The venation of the radial and median areas consists of straight 

 or slightly curved cross-veins placed at fairly regular distances. 



The very wide cubital and cubito-anal areas are crossed by irre- 

 gular wavy veins, which branch, and at times join into a loose 

 network. The anal area is occupied by simple cross-veins. 



Affinities. — At the time when Scudder described the wing, he 

 was of opinion that it had relationships with J\£eganeura (Dictyo- 

 neura) inonyi, and that it was a member of the group Proto- 

 phasmid?e. Handlirsch has. however, 1 removed it to the group 

 of Palseodictyoptera incertae sedis. 



Scudder was undoubtedly mistaken in referring the wing to the 

 Protophasmida*, as a glance at the figure of Protophasma dumasii 

 Brongniart 3 will at once show. Handlirsch apparently deduced 

 the Palaeodictyopteroid affinities only from a study of Scudder's 

 drawing of the wing. 



I have not been able to adopt Handlirsch's view of the structure 

 of the wing, but have arrived at slightly different conclusions. 



Handlirsch regards what I have described as an anterior branch 

 of the median vein, as the radial sector. If this view be correct, 

 the radial sector and the median vein are completely fused for 

 a distance of 10 to 15 mm. from their point of origin. 



The basal portion of the radius is widely divergent from the 

 base of the median— more so. in fact, than at any other part 

 of the whole course of the radius and supposed radial sector. 

 They could, therefore, have come into union only at the actual 

 point of origin of the wing. This may have been the case ; but, 

 in my opinion, the radius is wholly simple and undivided, and no 

 radial sector is present. The median vein is free and strongly 

 developed, a remark which applies also to the cubitus. The 

 cubitus may y and probably did, send off the long simple vein 

 lying in wards to the main stem ; and the simple vein may also 

 have given origin to the next vein, which divides into three 

 before reaching the wing-margin. The interpretation that I 

 make of the wing is, then, that the sub-costa and radius are simple 

 and undivided. The median and cubitus are large, much divided, 

 and take up the greater part of the wing-area ; while the anal 

 veins are few, and but one shows evidence of forking. 



If my view be correct, the wing is undoubtedly a very primitive 

 type of the Proto-orthoptera, still retaining evidence, in the costa, 

 sub-costa, and radius, of its Pakeodictyopteroid origin. 



1 1 Die Possilen Insekten ' 1906, p. 125. 



2 Ibid. pi. xvi, fig-P. 1 & 2. 



