358 0. Feistmantel — Contributions towards the [No. 4, 



Oolite, only that this latter species has no winged rhachis. Thus, our 

 fern presents some points of resemblance to mezozoic forms only, although 

 it cannot be identified with any one of them. 



The same species occurs also in the Barakur group at Talchir (Cuttack) 

 in Orissa. 



Order PECOPTEEIDES (ese.) 



An order which is the most frequent in the whole fossil flora, hut 

 everywhere are represented certain types and forms which are characteristic of 

 certain strata, although the relations of all to one another cannot be denied. 



In the existing flora we find analogues of the fossil Pecopterides amongst 

 the Aspleniaceae, Aspidiaceae, Acrostichaceae, and true Ft er ides ; therefore 

 in general amongst the Polypodiaceae, tribe Polypodeae. Only in cases where 

 the fructification is preserved, can one determine the family more exactly ; 

 in other cases we can judge only from the venation and therefore only gener- 

 ally. By this proceeding of course it may sometimes happen that forms of 

 the same living genus are taken in the fossil flora as different as long as 

 the fructification is unknown ; I may mention for instance the carboniferous 

 Aletlwpteris Serli, Bgt., which is certainly a Pteris, and, again, Lonchopteris 

 rugosa, Bgt., which in form closely resembles Aletlwpteris Serli, only that 

 it has a net-venation ; but we know that in the living genus Pteris the same 

 relations obtain : for instance, Pteris Schiedeana, Presl., Pt. eomans, Forst. 

 Pteris polypliylla, Presl. have a net-venation, while Pt. pseudolonchitis 

 Bory, Pt. nemoralis, Willd., and even the common Pt. aquilina and a great 

 manv others, have free and forked veins with a similar shape of the leaflets. 



Mr. Ettingshausen in the above-mentioned work has attempted to 

 distribute the fossil Pecopterides (as Aletlwpteris, Pecopteris, etc.) amongst 

 the different living genera, as he fancied himself able to do from the venation. 



The chief living genera in which Mr. Ettingshausen saw analogies to 

 the fossil Pecopterides are shortly the following : — 



Pteeis, Linn. 



Pteris Serli, Pecopteris Serli, Bgt. (Aletlwpteris) . . 



Pt. lonchitica, Pecopt. loncliitica, Bgt. (Aletlwpteris) . 



Pt. Whitby ensis, Pecopt. Whitby ensis, L. H. etc. (Aletlwpteris). 

 Asplenium, Linn. 



Asplen. Padnizense, Pecopt. Padnizensis, Stbg. sp. (Cyatheites). 



Aspl. simile, Pecopt. similis, Stbg., etc. 

 Phegopteeis. 



Phegopt. arguta, Pecopt. arguta, Bgt. (Cyatheites'). 



ASPIDIITM. 



Asp. lanceolatum, Pecopt. lanceolata, Stbg. 



Hemitelia. 

 Here are to be ranged most of the fossil Cyatheides, etc. 



