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THE AMERICAN NATURALIST [Vol. XL 



rounded-lobed leaves of the existing species it would be a reasonable 

 conclusion that pedunculata is simply a round-lobed form of some, 

 of its normally lobed contemporaries, which one, of course, it 

 is impossible to say, but not necessarily the same species in the 

 Oligocene as in the Eocene. 



Oomptonia schrankii (Sternb.) Berry 

 Aspleniopteris schrankii Sternb., Fl. Vorwelt, vol. 2, p. 29, pi. 21, fig. 2, 



Comptonia ? dryandrcejolia Brongn., Ann. Sci. Nat., ser. 1, vol. 15, p. 



49, pi. 3, fig. 7, 1828 (Schimper, Pal. Vega., vol. 2, p. 808, erroneously 



cites vol. 4); Prodrome, pp. 143, 214, 1828; Tabl, p. 118, 1849. 



Unger, Synopsis, p. 213, 1845; Gen. et Sp., p. 393, 1850. 



Squinabol., Cont. Fl. Foss. Terz. Liguria, pt. 4, p. 17, 1892. 



Massal, Sopra Pianti Foss. Terr. Terz. Vicentino, pp. 243, 258, 1851. 

 Myrica (Comptonia) dryandrcejolia Saporta, Etudes, vol. 2, p. 104, pi. 



5, fig. 8, 1865 (reproduced in Schimp., Pal. Veget., pi. 85, fig. 19-21). 

 Dryandra schrankii Ettings., Proteac. d. Vorw., p. 26, pi. 3, fig. 1-8, 



1S51; Fl V. Hciring, p. 55, pi. 10, fig. 1-26, 1853; Foss. Fl. Monte 



Wvh. k WVss., }\iln<:td.. vol. 4. J). 147 (37), pi. 25 (6), fig. 12, 1856. 

 M,jriai l>rn„,pn-art> (Kttin^'s.) Les,,.. .1///;. Rep. U. S.GeoL&Geog. Surv. 

 Terr., for 1^7.i, p. 412, 1S74; 7Vr//r/n/ Flora, p. 135, pi. 17, fig. 15, 

 1878. 



Comptonia brcviloba Brongn., in Sedg. & March., Trans. Geol. Soc. Lond., 



ser. 11, vol. 3, p. 373, 1832; Tabl, p. 118, 1849. 



Unger, Synopsis, pp. 213, 305, 1845; Gen. ct Sp., p. 349, 1850; Foss. 



Fl. V. Sotzka, p. 32, pi. 8, fig. 9, 1850. 

 Comptonites dryandra^folius Gopp. in Bronn, Ind. Palceont., vol. 1, p. 



322, 1848; vol. 2, p. 45, 1849. 



Leaves of this species were described and figured by Sternberg 

 as early as 1S22. He thought that he was dealing with a fern 

 and used the generic name Aspleniopteris. With the exception of 

 the somewhat doubtful specimen from the Green River group 

 (Eocene) which Lesquereux refers to Myrica hromjniarti, the 

 species is confined to Europe, where it is quite common and ex- 

 tends from the Eocene of the Isle of Wight up through the Mio- 

 cene, becoming especially common and widespread during the Oli- 

 gocene and Miocene. I have shown on PI. 2, Fig. 1, a leaf of the 

 existing species which is very close to this species, particularly 



