1876.] Knowledge of tlie Fossil Flora in India. 357 



The upper portion of the frond (pi. xvi, fig. 5.) is only bipinnate, the 

 pinnae have pinnulse which are only a little lobed ; in the middle portion the 

 pinnulse are longer and niore deeply lobed, and we can call them pinnatifid ; 

 the lowest are the longest, and again distinctly pinnate, and these second 

 pinnulse are again a little denticulated. The veins of the pinnulse pass out 

 from the rhachis of the pinnse and send up the branches to the lobes or 

 into the secondary pinnulse and there they are forked. The pinnulse have a 

 peculiar arrangement on the pinna : only the lower ones begin with a 

 pinnula in the angle of the chief rhachis and that of the pinnse, while of the 

 upper ones the first is pretty distant from the chief rhachis. 



Both the chief rhachis and the rhachis of the pinnse are broadly winged. 



These three different states of the frond I observed in one case on one 

 specimen, while in others I found them separated on different slabs. 

 But with the assistance of that one specimen, all can be referred to the 

 same species ; from this different state of the pinnse and pinnulse in the 

 several portions of the frond I have called the species " polymorpha." 



Of the other specimens I have figured some portions on plate xvii 

 which plainly show the various sizes and shapes of the pinnulse. 



This fern has some analogies. 



First I must mention McClelland' s Pecopt. affinis, (Report Geol. Surv. 

 PL XIII, Fig. 11 b.) As far as one can judge from the bad figure, there 

 pass out from the rhachis of the pinna a pretty strong midrib into the pin- 

 nulse (of the first order), and from this midrib a secondary vein passes into 

 each distinct lobe of the pinnula (indicating pinnulse of the second order) , and 

 here the secondary veins are forked. This agrees quite well with the character 

 of the nervation in our iSphenopteris polymorpha, especially in the larger 

 specimens, and I have no doubt but that this Fecopteris affinis of McClell. 

 with great probability belongs to the same fern. The inspection of the 

 original specimen, which will be later figured again, confirms my view. 



Amongst other fossil ferns, our species can be compared in some way 

 first with that form which was originally described as Fecopteris alata, Bgt., # 

 from the Hawkesberry beds in Australia, but which later was ranged with 

 Spihenopteris, and recently by Schimper with Sphenopteris FLymenophy Hides, 

 S chimp. Our species has in common with this the broadly winged rhachis 

 and, besides this, the shape of the upper pinnse, but the lower pinnse cannot 

 be compared with ours, the secondary pinnulse being not so denticulated. 

 Both these species may in the younger states be pretty similar, while differing 

 in the older ones. 



The lower pinnulse of our fern resemble rather those of the Fecopteris 

 atJiyrioides, Bgt.,f now Sphenopteris atltyrioides,~Bgt. sp., from the Yorkshire 



* Hist. d. veget foss. p. 361, pi. 127. 

 t 1. c. pi. 125, f. 3. 



