124 Dit ROBERT KIDSTON ON THE 



Description.— Cone heterosporous, pedicellate, complete length and apical portion 

 unknown ; cylindrical, of almost equal width, but gradually narrowing upwards and 

 from 12 to 16 mm. wide, internodes from 5 to 7 "5 mm. long. Bracts about length of 

 internode or slightly longer, broadly lanceolate, with a base about 1*3 mm. wide, outer 

 surface longitudinally striated and slightly keeled. Sporangiophores placed on the 

 axis mid-way between the bract verticils as in Calamostachys, but the form of sporangio- 

 phore and attachment of sporangia unknown. Microsporangia and megasporangia 

 occur on same verticil and throughout all regions of the cone. Megaspores n 573 to 

 fj- 648 in diameter, with small triradiate ridge, outer surface smooth. Microspores 

 /«115tOMl30in diameter, smooth, with small triradiate ridge. 



Remarks. — The cone is incomplete at the apex, but the portion preserved is 1 1 '50 cm. 

 long, and is given natural size on PI. IX. fig. 4, and a portion enlarged 2 times at 

 fig. 4a. It contracts at the base, where it is attached to a finely striated and, as far as 

 preserved, unjointed pedicel 2 cm. long and 5 mm. wide. The broadest part of the 

 cone is about 2 cm. above its base, where it is 1*60 cm. wide. From this point it 

 gradually narrows upwards, and about 7 cm. from the base it is T40 cm. wide. Above 

 this no satisfactory measurements can be made, as one of the margins is slightly covered 

 by the matrix. 



The cone shows 19 internodes, which vary from 6 mm. in length at the base to 

 about 5 mm. at the top of the specimen. 



The bracts are broadly lanceolate, about 7 mm. long, and terminate in sharp fine 

 points which extend very slightly beyond the node next above them. They have a 

 striated outer surface, and some of them show indications of a central keel, but no mid- 

 rib is observable. 



There appear to have been 16 or 18 bracts in a verticil, as 8 or 9 are seen on 

 the exposed surface of the cone. 



The sporangiophores are not seen on the specimen. 



Small portions of the carbonaceous remains of the cone were removed from the base, 

 the middle, and from near the top of the specimen, which were treated by the 

 maceration process, when in all cases, even though the material operated on was small, 

 the samples yielded microspores and megaspores. It would appear, then, that each 

 verticil bore both microsporangia and megasporangia, and that the two forms of spores 

 were not restricted to a special region of the cone. 



Some microspores enlarged 50 times are given at PL IX. fig. 46, and one 

 enlarged 500 times is seen at fig. 4c, and a megaspore enlarged 50 times is 

 shown at fig. id. Both microspores and megaspores do not seem to have been fully 

 ripe, as their walls are thin and much crumpled. Their outer surface is smooth, and 

 they are provided with a small triradiate ridge. This is shown on the microspore at 

 fig. 4c. On only one case could I discover the triradiate ridge on a megaspore, and it 

 was feebly developed ; this, as well as their crumpled condition, indicates a somewhat 

 early state of development. The occurrence in the same verticil, and at different 



