FOSSIL FLORA OF THE STAFFORDSHIRE COAL FIELDS. 113 



Description. — Frond probably of large size. Ultimate divisions of frond with thick, 

 strong, striated rachis, each of which terminates in a sub-cyclopteroid pinnule of thick 

 substance whose ventral surface shows, when the upper layer bearing the sporangia has 

 been removed, the entrance of several strong veins from the rachis into the pinnule, 

 which radiate from the base and dichotomise two to three times in their course to the 

 margin. Upper or adaxial surface of pinnule bearing densely packed, narrow, elongated 

 microsporangia about 4 mm. long and about 0*5 mm. broad. Microspores small, 

 round or somewhat oval, averaging from p. 45 to m 60 in diameter. Sterile pinnule 

 neuropteroid, terminating a short thick rachis, from which two veins seem to enter the 

 pinnule that give off dichotomously divided lateral veinlets, and in the upper part break 

 up into several branchlets. 



Remarks. — Several specimens of this fossil are given on PI. VIII. That seen at 

 fig. 4 is the largest specimen met with, but the rachis is only seen at the upper part. 

 Here it is 2 '5 mm. wide immediately below its attachment to the pinnule. The upper 

 part of this specimen is enlarged 2 times at fig. 4a, to show the striated rachis caused 

 by numerous Myelopteris-Yike veins which pass up it to enter the cyclopteroid pinnules. 

 This example shows the ventral aspect of the pinnule, from which the sporangia have 

 been removed, along with the layer to which they were attached, by adherence to the 

 other half of the nodule ; and a similar condition occurs on the other pinnules seen on 

 this specimen. In almost all cases the fracture of the stone passes underneath the 

 layer bearing the sporangia, which adhere to the counterpart of the fossil and there 

 exhibit the under surface of the layer to which they are attached. 



At fig. 1 the pinnule is bent up and also shows its ventral aspect. This figure 

 might give the idea that this pinnule was peltate, but the petiole joins on to the basal 

 margin of the pinnule, whose more distal portion is curiously bent up and partially 

 buried in the matrix. 



Fig. 2 shows natural size the ventral view of two pinnules which terminate a 

 dichotomy ; that at a is incomplete, the upper portion being broken off, while that at b 

 probably shows the complete pinnule, or only a small part of the upper margin is 

 missing. Another pinnule is given at fig. 6, enlarged 2 times. This also terminates 

 one branch of a dichotomy, but only a small portion of the corresponding pinnule is 

 visible. This, I am inclined to think, is a sterile pinnule, not one whose ventral surface 

 has become exposed by the removal of the sporangial layer, and illustrates one of those 

 intermediate forms between the sterile and microsporangiate cyclopteroid pinnules. 

 A further stage of transition from the cyclopteroid to the normal Neuropteroid pinnule 

 is seen on the specimen shown at fig. 7, where the fossil is given natural size, but the 

 details of the structure are better seen at fig. 7a, which is enlarged 2 times. Here 

 the pinnule lettered a is that seen at a, fig. 7. The upper portion of this pinnule is 

 unfortunately broken over, but the portion preserved is typical of an ordinary sterile 

 pinnule of Neuropteris. Two veins appear to enter it, but this is no very unusual 

 character, as normally more than one vein enters the pinnules of Neuropteris ovata 

 TRANS. ROY. SOC. ED1N., VOL. L. PART I. (NO. 5). 15 



