KUNGL. SV. VET. AKADEMIENS HANDUNGAR. BAND 45. N:G 7. 13 



tainty to the present objects. Before I undertook the examination of the fossils, 

 Prof. Nathorst had obtained two spores from the coal-sheet of one of the Bjuf- 

 specimens, but as no more of the same kind were found in connection with the 

 capsules, they may have been accidentally adhering to the remains of the capsule- 

 wall. When examining some other carbonized remains, I observed, låter on, another 

 spore of the same characteristic aspect. Isolated spores, pollen-grains etc. of different 

 kinds are often found adhering to the cnticles from Bjuf. It is therefore clear, that 

 no conclusions should be drawn from the occurrence of a few spores on the surface 

 of any kind of vegetable remains. I have, however, figured one of the spores from the 

 Bjuf-specimen (photogr. pl. 3, fig. 16) as well as the one found isolated (pl. 3, fig. 17). 



Summing up the evidence existing at present of the affinities of Sagenopteris, 

 it should be admitted, that the vegetative charaeters do not give very satisfactory 

 information on this point. But, at any råte, there is a greater resemblance to Mar- 

 silia than to any known type among the Filices. Though specimens of Sagenopteris 

 are among the most common fossils of certain Mesozoic rocks and have been known 

 since long ago, there is not yet any satisfactory record of fertile leaves. The only 

 evidence, as far as I know, in this respect is the occurrence on some leaves, des- 

 cribed by Fontaine (1, p. 149; pl. 27, fig. 15) under the name of S. elliptica Font., 

 of small dot-like elevations, which lie considers as sori. No sporangia or spores have, 

 however, been found, and Fo:ntaine"s figures do not appear very convincing. Such 

 dot-like elevations may be of quite different nature as has been shown, for instance, 

 in the case of Ctenis (Seward, 2, p. 234) and the supposed sporocarps from Scania 

 (see above, p. 10). Salfeld (1, p. 17) classes Sagenopteris among the Hydropteridece, 

 but makes at the same time the somewhat surprising statement, that the fructifica- 

 tions occur in the shape of spore-bearing bodies on the lower side of the leaves. 



If the fossils, described above, are really sporocarps of a water-fern — which, 

 I think, is at least highly probable — it is very tempting to regard them as the 

 fructifications of Sagenopteris. The association in the same beds is in itself not of 

 much consequence, but the fact that, among all fossils known from Rhaet and Lias, 

 only Sagenopteris presents an undeniable resemblance to Marsilia, strongly supports 

 this idea. 



State Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Febr. 1910. 



