﻿Vol. 
  53.} 
  ROCKS 
  AND 
  FOSSILS 
  FROM 
  FRANZ 
  JOSEF 
  LAND. 
  495 
  

  

  referred 
  to 
  Dr. 
  Nathorst's 
  new 
  species, 
  G. 
  polaris 
  (PI. 
  XXXVIII, 
  

   figs. 
  1-3) 
  ; 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  others 
  rather 
  larger, 
  with 
  more 
  slender 
  

   divisions 
  to 
  the 
  leaves, 
  and 
  with 
  seven 
  or 
  eight 
  ribs 
  on 
  each 
  blade, 
  

   ■which 
  are 
  very 
  like 
  G. 
  siberica, 
  Heer 
  (figs. 
  4 
  & 
  5), 
  if 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  

   identical 
  with 
  that 
  species. 
  

  

  Ferns 
  are 
  represented 
  by 
  several 
  specimens 
  which, 
  although 
  

   small, 
  are 
  well 
  preserved, 
  and 
  in 
  some 
  the 
  venation 
  of 
  the 
  pinnules 
  

   is 
  particularly 
  well 
  shown. 
  There 
  is 
  some 
  variation 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  

   the 
  pinnules 
  of 
  these 
  specimens, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  not 
  greater 
  than 
  might 
  

   be 
  expected 
  in 
  different 
  individual 
  plants, 
  or 
  perhaps 
  even 
  in 
  parts 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  frond. 
  The 
  onlv 
  genus 
  mentioned 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Nathorst 
  to 
  

   which 
  these 
  could 
  belong 
  is 
  Thyrsopteris, 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  much 
  resem- 
  

   blance 
  between 
  the 
  present 
  specimens 
  and 
  Th. 
  Murrayana 
  and 
  

   Th. 
  MaaUana 
  1 
  (PL 
  XXXVIII, 
  figs. 
  13 
  & 
  ]4), 
  wn 
  jch 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  

   Jurassic 
  rocks 
  of 
  Eastern 
  Siberia 
  and 
  of 
  England. 
  

  

  The 
  pinnules 
  of 
  these 
  ferns 
  also 
  bear 
  much 
  resemblance 
  to 
  the 
  

   figures 
  of 
  Adiantites 
  amurensis 
  as 
  given 
  by 
  Heer, 
  2 
  but 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  

   me 
  best, 
  for 
  the 
  present, 
  to 
  leave 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  genus 
  Thyrsopteris. 
  

   In 
  none 
  of 
  these 
  forms, 
  however, 
  is 
  the 
  venation 
  so 
  clearly 
  shown 
  

   as 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land 
  specimens, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   latter 
  also 
  the 
  bifurcation 
  of 
  the 
  veins 
  in 
  the 
  pinnules 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   more 
  regular 
  and 
  definite. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Xathorst 
  found 
  no 
  cycads 
  among 
  his 
  specimens 
  ; 
  there 
  are, 
  

   however, 
  in 
  our 
  series 
  one 
  or 
  two 
  long 
  lanceolate 
  leaves, 
  not 
  quite 
  

   perfect, 
  which 
  so 
  closely 
  resemble 
  some 
  of 
  those 
  that 
  have 
  been 
  

   called 
  Podozamites 
  Janceolatus 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  provisionally 
  referred 
  

   to 
  that 
  species 
  (PI. 
  XXXVIII, 
  fig. 
  12). 
  

  

  "We 
  have 
  a 
  few 
  examples 
  of 
  long, 
  slender, 
  regularly-tapering 
  

   leaves 
  (?), 
  with 
  few 
  strongly-marked 
  longitudinal 
  ridges 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  

   broken 
  across 
  in 
  such 
  a 
  way 
  as 
  to 
  resemble 
  a 
  jointed 
  stem, 
  and 
  

   remind 
  one 
  of 
  a 
  slender 
  Equisetum 
  (PI. 
  XXXVIII, 
  fig. 
  10). 
  The 
  

   true 
  affinities 
  of 
  these 
  specimens 
  are 
  not 
  clear, 
  but 
  they 
  bear 
  some 
  

   resemblance 
  to 
  Baiera 
  and 
  CzekanowsMa. 
  

  

  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  probable 
  geological 
  age 
  of 
  these 
  plants, 
  we 
  

   could 
  not 
  do 
  better 
  than 
  quote 
  the 
  opinion 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Nathorst 
  ; 
  but, 
  as 
  

   we 
  are 
  not 
  permitted 
  to 
  do 
  so, 
  we 
  can 
  only 
  refer 
  our 
  readers 
  to 
  

   ' 
  Farthest 
  North 
  ' 
  (p. 
  487), 
  and 
  say 
  that 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  this 
  flora 
  

   resembles 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  Upper 
  Jurassic 
  beds 
  of 
  Spitsbergen, 
  and 
  

   indicates 
  a 
  fool 
  climate, 
  but 
  one 
  much 
  more 
  genial 
  than 
  that 
  which 
  

   obtains 
  in 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  day. 
  

  

  2. 
  East 
  of 
  Elmwood. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  set 
  of 
  specimens 
  to 
  be 
  noticed 
  are 
  labelled 
  ' 
  East 
  of 
  

   Elmwood 
  and 
  above 
  Sharp's 
  Hock.' 
  These 
  are 
  specimens 
  of 
  some 
  

   thin 
  beds 
  of 
  shale 
  which 
  were 
  found 
  exposed 
  in 
  situ 
  just 
  below 
  the 
  

   basalt, 
  but 
  in 
  which 
  no 
  fossils 
  were 
  found. 
  Taken 
  in 
  descending 
  

   order, 
  these 
  are 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  1 
  Heer, 
  'Flora 
  Fossilis 
  Arctica,' 
  vol. 
  iv. 
  Beit. 
  rage 
  zur 
  Juraflora 
  Ost-Sibiriens, 
  

   etc. 
  pi. 
  i. 
  

  

  2 
  Ibid. 
  pi. 
  xxi. 
  fig. 
  6. 
  

  

  