FBOM THE HUTTON COLLECTION. 79 



Remarks. — It will be conceded that Brongniart's Neur. auri- 

 culata is one of the best figured and best determined species of 

 this genus ; that being so it is safer to refer N Villiersii to it 

 than to suppress the best known form, N. auriculata. There 

 are some remarks about this species in the Brit. Mus. Cat. 

 Palaeozoic Plants, p. 97, which are not easy to understand, but 

 by aid of Mr. Kidston's recent Memoir on the Somerset Coal- 

 field, Trans. Eoy. Soc. Edinb., Yol. 33, it seems to be explained 

 that he had identified the specimens he now refers to, JV. macro- 

 phylla, Brongt., with N auriculata, Brongt., and some other 

 species. At present it seems to me best to consider these two 

 forms identical, and as the figure of N. auriculata is best charac- 

 terized, I prefer to adopt it as a permanent name to any of the 

 other synonyms of this variable species. There can not be a 

 doubt that Lindley and Hutton's Plate 183, quoted above, 

 represents the same species. To this species we must also refer 

 the fragment of a pinna, Neur. Bufresnoyi, Brongt., pi. 74, f. 4, 

 and Lesquereux' figures, quoted above, appear to be only dif- 

 ferent parts of the frond and different states of growth of the 

 same fern. Unless great allowance be made for the bad figures 

 of imperfect specimens and the often inaccurate descriptions and 

 bad observation of authors, we shall never be able to clear away 

 the immense mass of confusion that is daily gathering about our 

 commonest fossil plants. 



NEUROPTERIS.— Rachial Pikn;e. 



(CYCLOPTERIS, Auctorum). 



Cyclopteris trichomanoides, Brongt., Hist.Veg. Foss., pi. 71, f. 4. 

 ,, dilatata, L. etH., Foss. Flora, pi. 91b. 



,, obliqua, L. etH., Foss. Flora, pi. 90. 



,, ollata, L. etH., Foss. Flora, pi. 217. 



,, orbicularis, Brongt., Hist.Yeg.Foss.,pl. 61, f. 2. 



134. — Cyclopteris dilatata, L. etH. Type specimen, F. F., pi. 91b. 

 Rachial pinna or primary leaf, nearly circular in shape ; the 

 outer margin imperfect. Nervation imperfectly preserved, but 

 the nerves appear to bifurcate frequently. 



Loc— Shale above the Low-Main Seam, Felling. (H. C. 207). 



