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



I name this fine species (of which two specimens, both of them figured, 

 are in Mr. Wood-Mason's collection) after Mr. Whitty of Kurhurbali, who 

 last year increased our knowledge of the Kurhurbali plants by four very 

 interesting species all on the same big slab of shale. 



It differs from both those already described by me, as well as from 

 all described by Mr. McCoy from Australia. 



Our specimen shows a broadly ovately subrhomboide frond, which 

 besides seems obliquely shaped ; the apex is obtusely acuminate ; there is 

 no midrib as in this genus generally, this being indicated in the middle only 

 by a slight furrow, from which the secondary veins pass in two directions 

 towards the margin, which is entire ; the secondary veins all anastomose 

 and form large oblongly hexagonal or polygonal areoles, larger than in 

 any -known species of the genus ; the areoles are largest in the middle, 

 becoming smaller towards the margin. 



Fructification not observed. 



This very fine fern has an apparent analogy to the living genus An- 

 tropliyum, and to those forms of it which have no midrib ; and there are 

 amongst the Indian living Antrophymn some species to which our fossil 

 can be compai'ed. I refer especially to Antropliyum latifolium, Bl.*, 

 from the Khasya Hills, of which Mr. Kurz has lent me several specimens 

 for comparison. I think this is the only fern to which our fossil can be 

 referred. If this be right, it may well be doubted whether the other two 

 species of Gangamopteris should be referred to the same living forms ; it is 

 rather possible that this genus also is only a palseontological one, for both 

 the other species of it have the leaves differently shaped, although the 

 disposition of the veins in them is similar. 



Genus Glossopteris, Bgt., 1828. 



Frondibus simplicibus (?), elongato spatlmlatis, apice obtusis vel acu- 

 minatis, " costa tisque ad apicem continuante" nervis secimdariis anasto- 

 mosantibus. 



This is the famous genus which has caused so much confusion in the 

 determination of the age of our Damuda Series and the Australian coal- 

 strata. 



As I have prepared a monograph of it, I will only briefly speak of 

 it here. 



a. In Australia Glossopteris is known from rocks (the Australian 

 coal-strata) wherein several strata are to be distinguished ; the lowest of 

 tbese is marked by a numerous marine fauna of generally carboniferous 

 alliances. With these some forms of Glossopteris occur, though rather 

 rarely. 



* Beddome, Ferns from British India, etc., Part XII, PI. CLXXVI. 



