﻿336 
  MR. 
  A. 
  C. 
  SEWARD 
  ON 
  THE 
  ASSOCIATION 
  OF 
  [Aug. 
  1897, 
  

  

  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  the 
  Glossopteris-fLora, 
  in 
  South 
  America, 
  

   but 
  the 
  work 
  of 
  Kurtz 
  and 
  Zeiller, 
  following 
  the 
  earlier 
  account 
  of 
  

   Brazilian 
  plants 
  by 
  Carruthers, 
  1 
  has 
  yielded 
  most 
  important 
  results. 
  

  

  Stated 
  briefly, 
  the 
  questions 
  suggested 
  by 
  these 
  recent 
  discoveries 
  

   of 
  Lepidodendroid 
  and 
  Sigillarian 
  plants 
  associated 
  with 
  the 
  

   Glossopteris- 
  flora 
  of 
  South 
  America 
  and 
  Africa 
  are 
  these 
  : 
  — 
  (i) 
  Was 
  

   there 
  a 
  land-connexion 
  between 
  the 
  continent 
  of 
  Gondwanaland 
  

   and 
  the 
  Northern 
  Hemisphere 
  continental 
  areas 
  towards 
  the 
  close 
  

   of 
  the 
  Palaeozoic 
  epoch 
  ? 
  (ii) 
  May 
  we 
  regard 
  the 
  Lepidodendroid 
  and 
  

   Sigillarian 
  species 
  of 
  South 
  America 
  and 
  South 
  Africa 
  as 
  survivals 
  

   from 
  an 
  older 
  period 
  which 
  preceded 
  the 
  typical 
  Glossopteris-ftora, 
  ? 
  

  

  The 
  Glossopteris-ftora, 
  is 
  best 
  known 
  from 
  the 
  Indian 
  rocks, 
  and 
  

   in 
  that 
  region 
  no 
  specimens 
  of 
  Calami 
  tes, 
  Sigillaria, 
  or 
  Lepidodea- 
  

   dron 
  have 
  so 
  far 
  been 
  discovered. 
  As 
  Zeiller 
  maintains, 
  the 
  Indian 
  

   genus 
  Trizygia 
  2 
  of 
  Eoyle 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  a 
  Sphenophyllum, 
  and 
  there 
  

   are 
  other 
  connecting-links 
  between 
  the 
  older 
  Glossopteris-ftora 
  of 
  

   India 
  and 
  the 
  Permo- 
  Carboniferous 
  vegetation 
  of 
  the 
  Northern 
  

   Hemisphere. 
  

  

  From 
  the 
  Malay 
  Archipelago 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  the 
  most 
  meagre 
  

   evidence 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  occurrence 
  at 
  Sarawak 
  of 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  members 
  of 
  

   the 
  Glossopteris-ftoTa., 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  as 
  yet 
  no 
  satisfactory 
  evidence 
  

   of 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  this 
  flora 
  in 
  New 
  Zealand. 
  In 
  Australia 
  the 
  

   Glossopteris-fiora 
  is 
  abundantly 
  represented, 
  but 
  no 
  instance 
  has 
  

   been 
  recorded 
  of 
  the 
  association 
  of 
  a 
  Lepidodendron 
  or 
  Sigillaria 
  

   with 
  Glossopteris, 
  Gangamopteris, 
  or 
  other 
  characteristic 
  member 
  of 
  

   the 
  Glossopteris-ftoraL. 
  

  

  Several 
  authors 
  have 
  made 
  us 
  familiar 
  with 
  the 
  existence 
  of 
  two 
  

   great 
  botanical 
  provinces 
  in 
  Permian 
  times, 
  and 
  probably 
  during 
  

   the 
  later 
  phases 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  period, 
  but 
  the 
  facts 
  on 
  which 
  

   this 
  view 
  is 
  founded 
  need 
  not 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  here. 
  3 
  There 
  is 
  not 
  

   wanting 
  evidence 
  in 
  favour 
  of 
  the 
  Glossopteris-ftora, 
  having 
  been 
  

   first 
  differentiated 
  in 
  an 
  Antarctic 
  continent 
  towards 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  

   the 
  Carboniferous 
  epoch. 
  It 
  has 
  left 
  abundant 
  traces 
  of 
  existence 
  

   in 
  the 
  now 
  scattered 
  regions 
  which 
  originally 
  formed 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   continent 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  name 
  Gondwanaland 
  has 
  been 
  applied 
  hy 
  

   Suss 
  and 
  other 
  writers. 
  In 
  connexion 
  with 
  this 
  southern 
  flora, 
  

   it 
  is 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  considerable 
  interest 
  to 
  consider 
  the 
  possible 
  

   significance 
  of 
  the 
  widespread 
  boulder-beds 
  of 
  India, 
  Australia, 
  

   Africa, 
  and 
  South 
  America; 
  but 
  this 
  question 
  has 
  been 
  elsewhere 
  

   discussed 
  by 
  several 
  writers, 
  especially 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Blanford, 
  who 
  has 
  

   thrown 
  out 
  many 
  valuable 
  suggestions 
  bearing 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  

   problem 
  of 
  plant-distribution. 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  note 
  a 
  reference 
  

   in 
  one 
  of 
  Darwin's 
  letters 
  to 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  an 
  Antarctic 
  

  

  1 
  Geol. 
  Mag. 
  1869, 
  p. 
  151. 
  

  

  2 
  ' 
  Sur 
  la 
  Valeur 
  du 
  Genre 
  Trizygia] 
  Bull. 
  Soc. 
  geol. 
  France, 
  ser. 
  3, 
  vol. 
  xix. 
  

   (1891) 
  p. 
  673. 
  

  

  3 
  See 
  Blanford, 
  W. 
  T., 
  Brit. 
  Assoc. 
  Eep. 
  (Montreal) 
  1884, 
  Pres. 
  Addr..to 
  

   sect. 
  0, 
  p. 
  691 
  ; 
  Quart. 
  Journ. 
  Geol. 
  Soc. 
  vol. 
  xlv. 
  (1889) 
  Proc. 
  p. 
  95 
  ; 
  ' 
  Nature,' 
  

   vol. 
  Hi. 
  (1895) 
  p. 
  595; 
  Seward, 
  A. 
  C. 
  'Science 
  Progress,' 
  1897, 
  p. 
  178; 
  also 
  

   an 
  excellent 
  article 
  by 
  Zeiller, 
  on 
  'Les 
  Provinces 
  botaniques 
  de 
  la 
  Fin 
  des 
  

   Temps 
  primaires,' 
  Rev. 
  gen. 
  Sciences, 
  Jan. 
  1897. 
  

  

  