﻿Vol. 6 1.] SPORANGIUM-LIKE ORGANS OF GLOSSOPTEBIS. 333 



Brongniart, 1 himself, first pointed out the occurrence of patches 

 of this type on the frond named by him Glossopteris Browniana 

 var. indica, which he stated were probably indications of sori. 



In 1861, Bunbury 2 figured further fronds from India of a similar 

 nature, which he regarded with little doubt as indicating sori, 

 although he admitted that he could find no organic structure. 

 Mr. Seward 3 has recently re-examined Bunbury's specimens, which 

 are in the Museum of the Geological Society of London, and has 

 concluded that 



' it may be that the patches are merely holes in the leaf, and not the impressions 

 of sori.' 



With this conclusion I quite agree, having also had an opportunity 

 of seeing the specimens in question. 



"We may pass over the figure given by Ralph Tate 4 in 1867, 

 under the name of Eubidgea Mackayi, which was supposed to be a 

 fertile frond of a somewhat similar kind, since the type-specimen 

 has never been in this country, nor examined by a competent 

 authority. His figure is simply a reproduction of a sketch sent 

 from South Africa, and now in the Museum of the Geological 

 Society. 



Feistmantel ° figured fronds of Glossopteris Browniana and Gl. 

 indica, showing features which he interpreted as indications of sori, 

 but most of these would appear to be holes in the fronds, somewhat 

 irregularly arranged on either side of the midrib, and very unequal 

 in size. 



Prof. Edgeworth David 6 described in 1891 a Glossopteris from 

 the Greta Coal-Measures at Richmond Yale, near Maitland (New 

 South Wales), showing dark oval-shaped bodies symmetrically 

 arranged on the leaves, which might possibly represent the fructi- 

 fication. Mr. Etheridge, jun., however, who also examined the 

 specimens, regarded the evidence in this case as inconclusive. 



Somewhat similar specimens, also from New South Wales, were 

 described and figured by Mr. John Mitchell 7 in 1893, in which three 

 suboval, convex impressions occurred between the midrib and the 

 margin, which were regarded as sori. In 1894, Mr. Etheridge, jun., 8 

 discussed at some length the evidence as to the fructification of 

 this genus, and, like Feistmantel, 9 laid perhaps more stress on this 

 character, from a systematic standpoint, than the present position 

 of our knowledge altogether justifies. In 1896, Prof. Zeiller 10 

 figured an apical portion of a frond of Glossopteris angitstifolia, 

 which seemed to show indications of sori on each side of the 



1 Brongniart (28) p. 224 & pi. lxii, fig. 2. 



2 Bunbury (61) p. 327 & pi. viii, fig. 1. 



3 Seward (97 2 ) p. 180. 



4 Tate (67) p. 141 & pi. v, fig. 8. 



3 Feistmantel (80) pp. 97-98, 101 & pi. xxvi A, figs. 1-4, pi. xxvii a, figs. 

 1, 2, 5 ; id. (82) p. 32 & pi. xxi, figs. 13-14. 



G David (91) pp. 424-25. 7 Mitchell (93) p. 377 & text-fig. 



y Etheridge (95) pp. 236, etc. ° Feistmantel (80) & (82). 



10 Zeiller (96 1 ) p. 369 & pi. xviii, fig. 3. 



