250 Mr. E. A. Newell Arber. New Species of  [Jan. 10, 
for the present we can only conclude that these seeds were generally naked 
at the stage of their development represented in these specimens. 
(3) Position of the Seed on the Plant. 
In the photographs of the two specimens reproduced on Plate 1, it will be 
noticed that the seeds are in most cases obviously detached. Associated with 
them are several long, naked, rachis-like structures, seen in Plate 1, photos. 1] 
and 3, etc. Some of these axes are 25 cm. or more in length, and vary from 
3 to 13 mm. in breadth. The surface as a rule is striated longitudinally, the 
strie being fine and regular. In addition, very minute, crowded circular or 
oval pits, or in other cases slight prominences occur, and these are arranged 
more or less in pseudoparallel longitudinal rows along the median portion of 
the axis (Plate 1, photos. 1 and-3). In some instances, these rachis-like 
structures have been observed to branch. 
-In no case has any foliar organ been found attached to these branched axes. 
In their general characters, however, they may be somewhat closely compared 
with portions of highly-compound fronds of the Sphenopteris type. There are 
strong reasons, as will be shown at a later stage in this work (p. 254), for 
regarding these branched structures as of the nature of compound fronds 
with reduced lamina, belonging to the same genus Sphenopteris. This con- 
clusion is founded mainly on the evidence of the seed itself, and that 
presented by LZ. Sinclair, of which a description is included here, in addition 
to the characters of these rachis-like axes. 
At first sight there appear to be several instances, in both the British 
Museum and Glasgow specimens, in which the seeds are still attached to these 
axes. This is apparently the case in Plate 1, photo. 4, a portion of the 
Glasgow specimen. A careful examination of this and similar examples has, 
however, shown that in no case is there any real evidence of continuity, 
and I regard these instances as probably due to chance association of 
detached seeds with the axis-like structures. In dealing with such impressions 
it is necessary to be exceedingly guarded on the subject of continuity, for such 
association is often capable of a totally different explanation. In only one 
case does it seem probable that these seeds may be still attached to the axis 
on which they were borne in the living state, and here the axis appears to be 
the termination of one of the finer branches of these rachis-like structures. 
This specimen is figured on Plate 2, fig. 5, enlarged three times. Here two 
seeds terminate the axis, which may very possibly be still in continuity, 
although even this instance may not be entirely free from doubt. 
If this specimen is rightly interpreted, there would appear to be some 
