Vol. 69.] 



IHE CLEVELAND DISTRICT OF YORKSHIRE. 



231 



is not seen, but the greater part of three sporophylls is preserved. 

 This flower was evidently of considerable size, like the original 

 Whitby specimen ; its shape can be made out from the figures. On 

 becoming free the sporophylls appear first to spread upwards fo. 

 about 4 cm., and then curve round and run in a more or less 

 horizontal direction for another 5 or 6 cm. In a living condition 

 these elongated ends of the sporophylls would probably arch over 

 the centre of the cup, although they may have straightened 

 out at maturity. In the original examples the arching-over 

 of the tips of the sporophylls was seen, but they only appeared 

 to project inwards for less than a centimetre, and seemed to 

 have rather a circinate shape. The breadth of the sporophylls is 



Pig. 2. — Restoration of an almost mature male flower 0/ William- 

 sonia spectabilis Naihorst. About natural size. 



about 13 mm. when they become free : it would appear to decrease 

 to about 7 mm. near the bend, and may be about 4 mm. near the 

 tip ; but, as the margins are probably more or less folded together 

 towards the tips, their exact breadth is somewhat difficult to 

 determine. In the example before us the synangia lie on the 

 concave side of the sporophyll. They are of the same form as in 

 the Whitby examples, and lie in regular rows with their long axes 

 at right angles to the sporophylls. Near the bases of the sporo- 

 phylls only a few single synangia are seen ; higher up they appear 

 to be in rows of two ; and towards the angle where the free limb 

 Q. J. G. S. No. 274. r 



