﻿Vol. 
  53.] 
  SIGILLARIA 
  AND 
  GLOSSOPTEKIS 
  IN 
  SOUTH 
  AFRICA. 
  315 
  

  

  24. 
  On 
  the 
  Association 
  of 
  Sig-illaria 
  and 
  Glossopteris 
  in 
  South 
  

   Africa. 
  By 
  A. 
  C. 
  Seward, 
  Esq., 
  M.A., 
  F.G.S., 
  University 
  

   Lecturer 
  in 
  Botany, 
  Cambridge. 
  (Eead 
  March 
  24th, 
  1897.) 
  

  

  [Plates 
  XXI.-XXIV.] 
  

  

  The 
  fossil 
  plants 
  which 
  form 
  the 
  subject 
  of 
  this 
  paper 
  were 
  for- 
  

   warded 
  to 
  me 
  by 
  Mr. 
  David 
  Draper, 
  of 
  Johannesburg, 
  and 
  my 
  

   thanks 
  are 
  due 
  to 
  him 
  for 
  affording 
  me 
  the 
  opportunity 
  of 
  making 
  

   the 
  following 
  contribution 
  to 
  the 
  paleobotany 
  of 
  the 
  Southern 
  

   Hemisphere. 
  

  

  The 
  localities 
  ' 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained 
  are 
  

   briefly 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  foregoing 
  communication 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Draper, 
  

   who 
  expresses 
  the 
  view 
  that 
  the 
  beds 
  of 
  each 
  horizon 
  are 
  probably 
  of 
  

   the 
  same 
  geological 
  age, 
  namely, 
  the 
  lower 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  Stormberg 
  

   Beds 
  of 
  Dunn. 
  The 
  evidence 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  plants 
  is, 
  however, 
  

   strongly 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  a 
  lower 
  horizon 
  ; 
  it 
  points 
  to 
  a 
  Permo-Carbon- 
  

   iferous 
  rather 
  than 
  a 
  Triassic 
  age. 
  The 
  interesting 
  association 
  of 
  

   genera 
  brought 
  to 
  light 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Draper's 
  discoveries, 
  and 
  its 
  signifi- 
  

   cance 
  from 
  the 
  point 
  of 
  view 
  of 
  geological 
  age 
  and 
  plant-distribu- 
  

   tion, 
  will 
  be 
  best 
  discussed 
  after 
  a 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  individual 
  

   species. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  are 
  the 
  principal 
  localities 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  plants 
  

   were 
  obtained 
  : 
  — 
  (1) 
  Boschmans 
  Fontein 
  and 
  Maggies 
  Mine 
  in 
  the 
  

   Middelburg 
  district, 
  Transvaal 
  ; 
  (2) 
  Casey's 
  Township 
  (Francis), 
  2 
  

   miles 
  south 
  of 
  Johannesburg 
  ; 
  and 
  (3) 
  Vereeniging, 
  about 
  30 
  miles 
  

   south 
  of 
  Johannesburg. 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  by 
  Schmeisser 
  on 
  South 
  African 
  

   minerals 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Glossopteris 
  and 
  

   Scliizoneura 
  in 
  the 
  Middelburg 
  district 
  at 
  the 
  Holfontein 
  Colliery. 
  

   The 
  rocks 
  are 
  spoken 
  of 
  as 
  belonging 
  to 
  the 
  Stormberg 
  Series. 
  2 
  

   Prom 
  the 
  second 
  locality, 
  under 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  ' 
  Francis,' 
  M. 
  Zeiller 
  3 
  

   has 
  recently 
  described 
  the 
  following 
  species: 
  — 
  Glossopteris 
  Brown- 
  

   iana, 
  Brongn., 
  G. 
  indica, 
  Schimp., 
  G. 
  angustifolia, 
  Brongn., 
  

   Vertebraria 
  indica, 
  Royle, 
  Sphenopteris 
  (?) 
  sp., 
  Phyllotheca 
  sp., 
  

   Noeggerathiopsis 
  Hislopi 
  (Bunb.), 
  and 
  two 
  small 
  seeds. 
  No 
  plants 
  

   have 
  been 
  described 
  from 
  the 
  third 
  locality, 
  Yereeniging 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  a 
  

   recent 
  work 
  by 
  Goldmann 
  on 
  South 
  African 
  mines 
  the 
  following 
  

   passage 
  occurs 
  : 
  — 
  ' 
  At 
  Vereeniging, 
  35 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Johannes- 
  

   burg, 
  in 
  the 
  Coal 
  Measures 
  resting 
  unconformably 
  on 
  the 
  dolomite, 
  

   in 
  addition 
  to 
  many 
  Triassic 
  fossils, 
  Lepidodendron 
  and 
  Favularia, 
  

   both 
  unmistakable 
  Carboniferous 
  fossils, 
  have 
  been 
  discovered.'* 
  

  

  1 
  The 
  'Lepidodendron 
  ' 
  referred 
  to 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Draper, 
  p. 
  313, 
  from 
  Zwart 
  Koppies 
  

   is 
  an 
  imperfectly-preserved 
  Knorria^form 
  of 
  a 
  Lepidodendroid 
  or 
  Sigillarian 
  

   plant. 
  It 
  is 
  hoped, 
  however, 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  plants 
  in 
  the 
  Natural 
  

   History 
  Museum 
  in 
  another 
  paper. 
  

  

  2 
  ' 
  Ueber 
  Vorkommen 
  u. 
  Gewinnung 
  d. 
  nutzbaren 
  Mineralien 
  in 
  d. 
  Siidafrik. 
  

   Kepublik,' 
  p. 
  66 
  (Berlin, 
  1894). 
  

  

  3 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  geol. 
  France, 
  ser. 
  3, 
  vol. 
  xxiv. 
  (1896) 
  p. 
  349. 
  

  

  4 
  ' 
  South 
  African 
  Mines,' 
  vol. 
  i. 
  p. 
  xxiv 
  (London, 
  1895-96). 
  

  

  