AEAITCAEITES. 131 



afford trustwortliy evidence of the comparative abundance of 

 Araucarian plants. It has long been recognised that the existing 

 members of the Arancariese represent a dwindled remnant of 

 a section of Coniferae that was widely distributed in the northern 

 liemisphere during the Jurassic and "Wealden epochs. The evidence 

 on which this statement is based is afforded by petrified wood 

 exhibiting the well-marked histological characteristics of Arauoaria 

 and Agathis, and by cones composed of large single-seeded scales. 

 It is intended to consider in detail the geological and geographical 

 distribution of the Araucariese in a memoir on recent and fossil 

 forms that is now in progress in collaboration with Miss Ford, of 

 jS^ewnham College, Cambridge. 



The specific nomenclature adopted in the following pages may 

 probably not represent differences worthy of specific rank, but we 

 ■cannot hope to arrive at a satisfactory decision as to the limits of 

 types without additional data. 



Araucarites sphserocarpus, Carr. 



[Geal. Mag. vol. iii. p. 249, pi. xi. 1866.] 



(PI. XIII. Figs. 2-4, 8.) 



1866. Arauoaria sph(sroearpa, Can-uthers, Geol. Mag. vol. iii. p. 249, pi. xi. 



1870. A. sphcerocarpa, Schimper, Trait, pal. veg. vol. ii. p. 264. 



1871. Araucarites spharocarpus, Carruthers, Geol. Mag. vol. viii. p. 543. 



1872. A. sphcerocarpus, Thiselton-Dyer, Geol. Mag. vol. ix. p. 151, fig. 4. 

 Cf. A. Saeherleinii, ibid. p. 150, figs. 1-3. 



A. sphcerocarpus, Balfour, Palacont. Bot. p. 62, figs. 83-85. 

 1878. Arauoaria sphmrocarpa, LyeU, Elements Geol. p. 335, fig. 351. 

 1884. Araucarites spheerocarpa, Saporta, Pal. Fran(j. vol. iii. p. 416, pi. lix. 



fig. 4. 

 1888. Arauoaria sphm-ocarpa, Schenk, Handbuch, p. 171. 

 1894. Araucarites sphcerocarpus, "Woodward, Lower Ool. p. 599. 



Locality and Sorizon. — Bruton, Somersetshire (Inferior Oolite). 



Araucarites sphcerocarpus was founded by Carruthers on a large 

 cone obtained from the Inferior Oolite of Somersetshire ; he defined 

 the species as follows : — " Cone spherical. Scales rhomboidal, with 

 a central ridge produced into a stout, somewhat reflexed spine, 

 and an obvious furrow dividing the scale into an upper and lower 



