FR03I THE HTTTT02T COLLECTION. 43 



50.— Catamites nodosus, L. et H. Very fine specimen, shewing whorls 

 of fertile cones arranged apparently round the joints of two 

 long branches. 

 Loc— Shale above the Low-Main Seam, Felling. (H. C. 45). 



51. Portion of stem of Catamites Suckowii, and branch with 



fertile cones lying across the stem. 



Loc. — Shale above the Low-Main Seam, Felling. (H. C. 54). 



52. — Asterophyllites Huttoni, Lebour, 111. Foss. Pits., pi. 8. Type. 

 Very indistinct and imperfectly preserved specimen, but identi- 

 cally the same as C. nodosus, L. et. H. = Volkmannia poly- 

 stachia, Stb. 

 Loc. — Shale above the Bensham Seam, Jarrow. (H. C. 123). 



Remarks. — The cast in sandstone (No. 24) is the only charac- 

 teristic stem of C. Suckowii found in the Hutton Collection. In 

 the MS. Catalogue all the specimens of the var. decoratus were 

 referred to 0. cannqformis, F. F., pi. 79, but the discovery of 

 the Type specimen of pi. 79 in the Collection of the Natural 

 History Society enables me to determine that the Hutton Type 

 is a true C. cannceformis, and not a variety of C. Suckowii as 

 formerly supposed. 



Among the small stems there are several which serve to illus- 

 trate the habit and mode of growth of this species. ISTos. 34, 

 35, shew a number of small stems radiating from a central stem 

 or rootstock; 36, 37, and 38 shew stems of considerable size 

 organically attached to a creeping rootstock or another stem; 

 in the latter case the original stem must have become prostrate 

 and acting functionally as a rootstock. No. 39 is peculiarly 

 interesting, as it shews part of a compressed stem with tubercles 

 at some of the joints, and a large stem budding off from one of 

 the tubercles. The internodes of the compressed stem are nar- 

 row, and along the margin of one side of the joints very fine 

 traces of rootlet scars are plainly indicated. No one would hesi- 

 tate to name this compressed stem C. cruciatus or approximates 

 of the F. F., pi. 216, but it is evidently a creeping rootstock. 

 Some of these specimens seem to shew that when a Calamite 

 stem became submerged it began to take the characters and 

 office of a rootstock. No. 40 is another instructive example. 

 At first sight one would suppose that a stem had been broken at 



