REPORT OF THE STATE PALEONTOLOGIST 1901 601 



The doubts which may arise as to the precise characters and 

 nature of Haliserites dechenianus as described and 

 illustrated by Goppert do not appear to be completely satisfied 

 by reference to the interpretation put on it by other paleon- 

 tologists. Most paleobotanists who have had to do with 

 the species only in a casual way accept its algoid nature. 

 Thus, Schimper 1 and Saporta 2 copy one or more of Gopperfs 

 figures while substantially reproducing his diagnosis under the 

 same name. Among the authors who more carefully examined 

 material there is difference of opinion. The Sandbergers, in their 

 great work on the fossils of the Rhenish system in Nassau, 3 

 figure the species as a flat, membranaceous, more distantly 

 bifurcating type with distinct slender median costae. The spec- 

 imens, occurring at numerous localities supposed by the writers 

 to be of Oriskany age, are described as having the lamina cov- 

 ered by a thin silky talcoid mineral, while the costa is con- 

 verted to graphite. The form of the illustrated segments as 

 well as the comments on the material appear to indicate an 

 algoid type apparently congeneric with Goppert's, with which 

 it was specifically identified. The specimen from, the lower 

 Devonic recently portrayed under Goppert's name by Potonie 4 

 appears to represent exactly the same form as that shown by 

 the Sandbergers and seemingly belongs to the true algae, with 

 which it is placed by the author. 



In his Fossil plants of the Devonian, and Upper Sihvrian forma- 

 tions of Canada Dawson 5 says : " there can be little doubt that the 

 species Haliserites dechenianus Gopp., so abund- 

 ant in the rocks of this age in Germany, is founded on badly 

 preserved specimens of Psilophyton." Carruthers, 6 in agree- 

 ment with Dawson, describes a number of apparently typical 

 Psilophyton fragments from the Old Red sandstone of 



x Traite Paleont. Veg. 1869. 1: 185, pi. 2, fig. 1. 



2 Monde d. Plantes. 1879. p. 172, fig. 2. 



3 Verst. d. Rhein. Schichtensyst. Nassau. 1856. p. 424, pi. 38, fig, 1. 



4 Lehrbuch d. Pfianzenpalaeont. 1899. p. 60, fig. 26. 



5 Can. geol. sur. 1871. p. 75. 



8 Seeman's jour, of botany. 1873. 2: 326. 



