120 PlCrYOPHrLLITM. 



accm-ately express tlie affinity of the plants referred to these 

 genera if they were regarded as generically identical, but it may be 

 more convenient to retain the genus Clafhropteris, as representing 

 a fairly -well defined type. 



Presl instituted the genus Camptopteris ' for certain ferns named 

 by Brongniart Phlehopteris. The figure given by Presl of his 

 type-specimen, C. Muensteriana — a plant subsequently referred 

 to the species Clathropteris platyphylla — represents a small piece 

 of frond with the venation characters of Brongniart's genus 

 Clathropteris. 



Another plant, named by Brongniart Phlehopteris Nilssoni, and 

 included by Presl in his genus Camptopteris, should undoubtedly 

 be referred to Bietyophyllum. While there are, I believe, no 

 good reasons for retaining Presl's genus as originally applied, 

 it may be convenient to retain it in the modified sense in which 

 Nathorst has applied it to some remarkable specimens of Ehsetic 

 age from Scania.'' A restoration published by Nathorst of 

 Camptopteris spiralis, Nath., in his Geology of Sweden,^ admirably 

 illustrates the habit of the genus. Having had an opportunity 

 of examining the Scanian fossils in the Stockholm Museum, I can 

 bear testimony to the accuracy of Nathorst's restoration. It is 

 probable that a specimen recently figured by Zeiller' as the 

 base of a Clathropteris frond should be referred to the genus 

 Camptopteris as used by Nathorst.^ 



Bunker's genus Sausmannia was instituted in 1846° for an 

 imperfect leaf from the North German Wealden. The type- 

 specimen, H. iiohotoma, has a palmate frond, deeply divided into 

 lobed linear segments traversed by forked main veins from which 

 anastomosing branohlets are given ofE. The type-specimen of 



1 Sternberg (38), p. 168, pi. xxxiii. fig. 9. 



2 Nathorst (78=). 



" Nathorst (94), p. 169. 



» Zeiller (97), pi. xxi. fig. 6. 



' Since this was written, M. Zeiller, of Paris, has published an excellent work 

 on Palaeobotany {JElements de FaUobotanique), in which he figures an unusually 

 perfect specimen of Clathropteris platyphylla, Gopp., from Tonquin ; this is 

 by far the finest example so far described of a Mesozoic species which presents 

 a striking resemblance to some forms of the recent genus Sipteris, and in habit 

 agrees also with Matonia pectinata and Cheiropteris palmatopedata (Bak.). 



« Dunker (46), p. 12, pi. v. fig. 1. 



