A New S poriferous Spike. 25 



elements {Fig. 2, b) continuous with the hypoderma of the 

 internode above. The lower is composed of a large celled 

 tissue with thin walls (Fig. 2, d), closely resembling that of 

 the inner cortex and has no continuation of the hypoderma 

 of the internode below. In one or two instances the 

 resemblance to the inner cortex is emphasised by the 

 presence of black masses in the cell cavities. From the 

 appearance of the specimen, this softer tissue seems to 

 have readily separated from the overlying harder part and 

 to have been easily destroyed. The two layers together 

 have a vertical thickness of 0*5 millimetres at the point of 

 insertion on the axis. 



The limb of the bract is a long slender body and 

 probably reached to the second whorl of bracts above 

 {Fig. 1 , b). The structure of the limb is very imperfectly 

 shown, but it seems to be made up of elongated, narrow, 

 thick-walled elements, something like those met with in the 

 upper part of the base. Whether or not it possessed a 

 large-celled tissue like that of the lower part of the base, it 

 is impossible to say, but it seems doubtful. 



The Sporangiophores. 



The sporangiophores stood nearly, if not exactly, mid- 

 way between the successive whorls of bracts, and projected 

 at right angles from the axis. They are not found in the 

 section however, and our knowledge of their position is 

 based upon the short processes shown at g, which represent 

 tangential sections of the basal portion. The section shows 

 no trace of a peltate dilation of the distal end of the 

 sporangiophore, an absence which is difficult to understand 

 had such existed, unless it were remarkably small. For 

 this reason we are inclined to think that the sporangiophores 

 were simple columella-like structures. The histology cannot 

 be made out with certainty, but there appears to have been 

 a central strand of delicate tissue enclosed in an outer zone 



