1S76.] Knowledge of the Fossil Flora in India. 375 



In Brongrtiart's figures the veins particularly are not rightly figured, 

 and the margin also is incorrect. This author also made the same mistake 

 in the Glossopteris JBrowniana, drawing the veins as anastomosing only to 

 the middle of the leaf- surface (on both sides of the stalk) and thence to the 

 margin dichotomous only ; while they in reality anastomose throughout 

 until they reach the margin. The same is also the case with Glossopteris 

 angmtifolia, Bgt. In Brongniart's figures we find some nets on each side 

 of the rhachis only, and then the veins are regularly dichotomous. This 

 is not so. 



Mr. Wood-Mason has brought several specimens, of which I give three 

 figures, and which show the relations better. 



The frond is rather narrow, about 1*7 cm. broad and only about 18 — 20 

 cm. long ; the rhachis is proportionally very thick (2 mm.) and reaches 

 to the apex ; this is quite acuminate ; the secondary veins pass out at 

 a pretty acute angle from the rhachis and are there tolerably thick and 

 form tolerably large polygonal oblong areoles ; but from here they are 

 resolved suddenly into many branches, which form oblong and narrow 

 areoles up to the margin ; here they are curved along the margin in such 

 a manner that one always catches the nest so as to form areoles even 

 on the margin, Brongniart representing them as ending straightly. 



On both sides of this marginal ending of the areoles one can observe 

 with the lens a smooth line running along the whole margin (see fig. 2a. 

 PL XXI), of which in Brongniart's figure nothing is to be seen. 



Does this indicate a marginal fructification ? If so, then we have 

 perhaps an analogy in Fteris or Schizoloma. 



This dicovery of Mr. Wood-Mason's modifies my statement in Rec. G. 

 S. Ind. IX. 3, p. 72, when I stated, that I had not rediscovered any 

 specimen from India : this was right as to our collection, Mr. Wood- 

 Mason's specimens having been acquired later. The specimen which I 

 mentioned (on the same page) as from the upper portion of the Australian 

 coal-strata, now appears different from our Indian Glossopt. angmtifolia, 

 Bgt. as above characterised. 



Glossoptebis communis, Fstm., PI. XXI, Fig. 5. 



Fronde simplici, variante, sed plerumque speciosa, integerrima, ovato- 

 oblonga, apice elongato-acuminata, basi attenuata in rhachidem decurrente, 

 rhacliide crassa usque ad apicem currente, nervis omnibus anastomosant ibus, 

 retia oblonga, angustissima formantibus. Fructificatione ignota. 



Of this species I have given only a portion of a frond, twice enlarged 

 to show the character of the net-venation ; in my monograph on Glossop- 

 teris I shall have occasion to figure a good many nice specimens. 

 48 



