358 MR ROBERT KIDSTON ON THE FOSSIL FLORA OF THE 



and, further, it has been shown by Zeiller that they are specifically identical 

 with Neur. Scheuchzeri, Hoffm. 



Bunbury was the first to point out the presence of hairs on specimens of 

 Neur. Scheuchzeri from Cape Breton, though he identified his plants as Neur. 

 cordata* He also mentions that he had observed these little hairs on 

 specimens of Neur. cordata, L. & H. (not Brongniart), from Leebotwood (the 

 locality from which Lindley and Hutton's examples come), in the collection of 

 the Geological Society of London, and this observation I am able to cor- 

 roborate. 



Bunbury here also places Neur. angustifolia, Brongt., as a variety of Neur. 

 cordata, and further suggests that Neur. cordata, New. angustifolia, Neur. 

 acutifolia, and Neur. Scheuchzeri of Brongniart are all of them forms of Neur. 

 cordata. 



LESQUEREUxt at one time expressed a similar belief, but subsequently he 

 treated Neur. cordata, Neur. hirsuta, and Neur. angustifolia as distinct, giving 

 Lindley and Hutton's figure as a reference under Neur. cordata, Brongt., but, 

 as already stated, the specimens from Leebotwood belong to Neur. Scheuchzeri, 

 and not to Neur. cordata, Brongt. X 



Neur. hirsuta, Lesq.,§ agrees in every respect with Neur. Scheuchzeri; 

 Lesquereux's species, however, was created before the true characters of 

 Neur. Scheuchzeri were clearly understood ; but it must now be reduced to a 

 synonym of the latter-mentioned plant. 



Goppert gives a figure in his Permian Flora which he names Neur. cordata.\ 

 This does not show the small cyclopteroid pinnules that are generally present, 

 but the form of the large pinnules and their nervation, as shown by his enlarge- 

 ment, agree entirely with Neur. Scheuchzeri, to which plant I believe his fern 

 may belong. 



Zeiller, in his excellent remarks on Neur. Scheuchzeri, to which I am much 

 indebted for a right understanding of this species, includes under Neur. 

 Scheuchzeri the figure of a Neuropteris from England given by Scheuchzer in 

 his Herbarium Deluvianum, pi. x. fig. 3 (edition 1709). It is impossible to 

 speak definitely on the specific position of the fern figured by Scheuchzer, but 

 I feel more inclined to identify it as Neur. macrophylla, Brongt., than Neur. 

 Scheuchzeri, Hoffm. 



While preparing the Catalogue of the Palaeozoic Plants in the British 

 Museum, with only figures and descriptions of these species before me, and all 



* Quart. Jour. Geol. Sue, vol. iii. p. 424, 1847. 

 t In Roger's Geol. of Penneyl., vol. ii. part 2, p. 857, 1858. 



J The nervation of Lindley and Hutton's figures is very diagrammatic, and by no means represents 

 the correct nervation of the plant they figure. 



§ Coal Flora of Pennsyl, pp. 88, 89, 91, 1880. 

 || PI. xL fig. 1. 



