330 O. Feistmantel — Contributions towards the [No. 4, 



Raniganj coalfield, and altogether from the Damudas, were collected ; but 

 until recently they remained unexamined and undescribed, so that all this 

 excellent evidence could not be used to contradict the incorrect opinions 

 that have prevailed as to the age of the Damudas. 



I think it necessary first to mention some previous papers on the 

 palaeontology and geology of the formation under discussion, to show what 

 is the state of our knowledge of the fossils of this series. 



The first mention of fossil plants from Raniganj is to be found in Ad. 

 Brongniart's papers, ' Prodrome d'une histoire des vegetaux fossils' 

 (1828) and ' Histoire des veget. foss.' (1828), wherein is described the 

 genus Glossopteris. In the ' Prodrome' we find only one species of 

 Glossopteris as Glossopt. Broioniana, Bgt., from Australia and India. 

 In the other work* we find a thorough description of this genus and 

 two varieties of the species distinguished as Glossopt. Broioniana, Bgt. 

 var. a. australasica and Glossopt. Browniana, Bgt. var. B. indiea, the 

 former from Australia, the latter from Raniganj, India, f Besides this 

 is described Glossopteris angustifolia, Bgt., from the same locality (Rani- 

 ganj), which Mr. Wood-Mason has rediscovered. This distinction of two 

 varieties of Glossopt. Broioniana according to locality was repeatedly 

 adopted until Mr. SchimperJ at last decided upon distinguishing them 

 as different species ; in which I go along with him. This author de- 

 scribed the Indian Glossopteris as Glossopt. indiea, Schimp., restricting 

 the name Glossopt. Browniana, Bgt., to the Australian species. I myself 

 could prove it again and will discuss it further. 



These forms of Glossopteris, as Brongniart described them, were 

 afterwards quoted again by subsequent authors, until Schimper made the 

 above-mentioned division. 



There are also some special papers on the plants of the Burdwan 

 (Raniganj) field. 



First we have Royle's paper, § wherein four species of plants are 

 figured ; these were : — Vertebraria indiea, Royle. {Vertebraria radiata, 

 Royle), Trizygia speciosa, R., Pecopteris Lindleyana, R., Glossopteris 

 danaeoides, R. 



Of these Vertebraria has to remain ; Trizygia speciosa is a Spheno- 

 pliyllum with the specific name Trizygia^ ; Becopt. Lindleyana, R., is an 

 Aletliopteris with the same specific name ; Glossopteris danaeoides, R. 



* Hist, des veget. foss. 1828, p. 222, seq. 

 f Brongniart writes Rana-gunge, 

 % Scnimper Traite de Pal. veget, I. p. 644, 645. 



§ Eoyle, Hlustrat. of the Botan. etc. in the Himalayan Mountains, 1839. Atlas, 

 PL II. 



|| Unger, Genera et species plant, foss. 1850, p. 71. 



