1858.] BUNBUEY FOSSIL LEAVES, MADEIKA. 57 



23. Phyllites. 



A small leaf, which I cannot identify ; its chief character is the 

 very acute point into which it tapers from a broad somewhat cor- 

 date base ; the margin very entire. 



I vdll add, for the sake of comparison, a list of the species enu- 

 merated by Professor Heer, as determined by him among the fossil 

 leaves from the same bed : — 



1. Pteris aquilina, L. 14. Erica arborea^ L. . 



*2. Trichomanes radicans, 8w. 15. Vacciniiiin Maderense, i).C 



3. Woodwardia radicans, Sm. *16. Vinca major, L. ? 



*4. Osmunda regalis, L. 17. Myrtus com -munis, L. 



*5. Asplenium marinum, X. ? 18. Ilex Hartungii, ZT^^r. 



*6. Asplenium Bunburianum, Heer. *19. Rhamnus latifolius, Heritier. 



*7. Aspidium LyeUii, Heer. *20. Pistacia Phaeacum, Heer. 



*8. Salix Lowei, Heer. 21. Pittosporum ? 



*9. Myrica Eaya, L. *22. Rosa canina, Z. ? 



10. Corylus australis, Heer. *23. Psoralea dentata, B.C. 



*11. Ulmus suberosa, Moenck. *24. Phyllites (Rhus?) Ziegleri, Heer. 



12. Oreodaphne foetens, Nees. 25. Grrass, undetermined. 

 *13. Clethra arborea, L. 



Of the 25 forms in this list, as many as 13 f are wanting in mine, 

 namely the Nos. 2,4, 5, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24. The 

 determinations of some of these are acknowledged by Heer himseK 

 to be very doubtful. Six out of the thirteen are identified by him 

 with species now existing in the island, namely the Trichomanes, 

 Asplenium marinum, Myrica, Clethra, Vinca (doubtful), Rosa (very 

 doubtful). Four others are considered to belong to existing species 

 not now found in Madeira, — the Osmunda, Ulmus, Rhamnus, and 

 Psoralea. The three remaining kinds appear to be extinct 



On the other hand, I find in the collection before me 11 forms 

 which are not in Heer's list ; these are — 



DavalHa Canariensis ? Vacciniimi Myrtillus ? 



Aspidium ? (No. 5 of my list.) Phyllites (No. 20 of mv list.) 



Nephrodium ? (No. 6.) (No. 21.) 



Nephrodium ? (No. 7.) (No. 22.) 



Adiantum psychodes ? (No. 23.) 



Cyperus ? (No. 9.) 



The total number of distinguishable fonns in the two collections 

 thus amounts to 36 ; but the greater part of them must be con- 

 sidered as very imperfectly known, and too uncertain to afford safe 

 ground for any botanical conclusions. I will, however, hazard a few 

 observations on the materials thus collected. 



1. The most abundant of the Dicotyledonous leaves, and the most 

 abundant of the Ferns, are with great probability identified with 

 species now existing in the island. The Fern, Pteris aquilina, is 

 indeed a plant which has a wide geographical range, and accommo- 

 dates itself to a variety of conditions ; but not so the two Laurels, 

 Laurus Canariensis and Oreodaphne foetens, which appear to be con- 

 fined to the three Atlantic groups of islands, the Madeiras, Canaries, 



t Perhaps the Salix Lotoei, No. 8, should be added. 



