XXX] WHITTLESEYA 129 



the Coal Measures of Ohio. Whittleseya is represented by species 

 from several North American locahties^ in Ohio, Pennsylvania, 

 Arkansas, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick^ ; it occurs in Silesia 

 and has recently been found in the Enghsh Coal Measures^. 

 The genus is confined to Upper Carboniferous strata. 



The leaves are fairly thick; the lamina is oblong, cuneate, 

 broadly triangular or Unear, usually rounded and truncate (fig. 428, 

 A, C), generally dentate at the distal end, the proximal portion 

 being gradually or abruptly contracted and occasionally prolonged 

 into a short pedicel. The veins or ribs are parallel to the sides 

 of the lamina and except near the base unbranched. 



Whittleseya elegans Newberry. 



The type-species, from North America and Europe, is char- 

 acterised by its shovel-Hke lamina from 3 to 6 cm. long closely 

 resembhng in shape some lepidopterous scales; the surface is 

 ribbed, each rib corresponding to a tooth on the distal margin; 

 on each of the parallel ridges are 4 — 5 longitudinal Hnes indicating 

 either veins or stereome strands (fig. 428, A, C). The examination 

 of preparations made by Dr Kidston from a leaflet of this species 

 enables me to add a few facts with regard to the microspores. 

 The spores, which cover almost the whole surface of the lamina, 

 show a tendency to a more or less definite arrangement in longi- 

 tudinal rows. Two types of cuticularised membrane are repre- 

 sented among the associated fragments : in some pieces of cuticle 

 the cells are short and have straight walls while in others the 

 preservation is inferior and the cells appear to be longer and 

 narrower. One or both of these membranes probably belong to 

 the sporangia. The oval slit, which is a striking feature on 

 several of the spores (fig. 429), points to their bilateral nature 

 and dehiscence along the major axis. A comparison of these 

 spores with those obtained by Kidston from the Enghsh species 

 Whittleseya fertilis reveals a very close agreement both in size 

 and shape and confirms the identification of the Stafiordshire 

 specimens as leaflets of Whittleseya. The large size of the micro- 

 spores and the gaping oval aperture in some of them are features 



1 Lesquereux (80) A. p. 523, PI. iv; (84). For other references see Potonie (04). 

 ■' White, D. (01). ' Thomas, H. H. (12); Kidston (14) p. 166. 



s. m 9 



