FEOM THE HUTTON COLLECTION. 55 



85. Counterpart of the preceding specimen. 



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



Remarks. — The little strobilus-like spike referred to this 

 species seems to me to be identical with Binney's Bowmanites 

 Cambrensis, and I am induced to refer it to this species of 

 Sphenophyllum from the evidence afforded by a second specimen, 

 in which the strobilus or spike is attached to a slender, jointed 

 stem, with all the characters of the stem and foliage of Spheno- 

 phyllum Saxifragcefolium. 



Okdee. FILICACE^E. 



FILICES INCERTJ) SED1S. 



SCHIZOPTEKIS, Brongniart. 



(RHACOPHFLLVM, Schimper). 



Schizopteris anomala, Brongniart. 



Type — Schizopteris anomala, Brongt., Hist.Yeget.Foss., 



pi. 135. 

 Schizopteris anomala, Geinitz, Vers. Steink. Sachs., pi. 26, f. 2. 



86. — Schizopteris anomala, Brongt. 



Specimen very distinctly impressed ; numerous tapering bifur- 

 cating stems -with stag's horn appearance. 

 Loc. — Shale above the Bensham Seam, Jarrow. (H. C. 303). 



Remarks. — There were in the original Hutton Collection twelve 

 specimens which were referred by me to the genus Schizopteris, 

 Brongt. They were among a miscellaneous unsorted lot of fossil 

 plants labelled "undetermined." Of these six slabs were selected 

 for this Museum, one of which is figured in the "Illustrations 

 of Fossil Plants," from Hutton's drawings, as quoted below. 



The genus Schizopteris formed by Brongniart, for the only 

 species he knew is just as valid at the present day as when he 

 wrote the Prodromus, and placed Schizopteris anomala among 

 the ferns. There seems no necessity to adopt Schimper's Rhaco- 

 phyllum and suppress Brongniart's name, unless it is done for 

 the sake of novelty and love of change and confusion. 



