1888.] 



Organisation of Fossil Plants. 



367 



a ring of ice formed at the surface, which gradually extended down 

 the sides and towards the centre, till we had a long tube of ice thinning 

 out towards the lower end joined on to a case of ice, lining the inside 

 of the cone. The tube grew thicker and thicker, till it became a solid 

 bar. When a piece of sheet india-rubber was laid on the surface 

 (to prevent air entering), it was frozen firmly to the sides of the 

 mould, while the centre was pushed upwards into the shape of a bee- 

 hive, till at last it burst. It was curious to find the india-rubber 

 with the middle part drawn out into a long tube with torn edges, 

 firmly imbedded in the ice at some little distance from the end. 



In conclusion, we wish to express oar thanks to Dr. Main for the 

 use of his special stretching machine, and of the various thermometers, 

 callipers, and much other apparatus, which he has generously placed 

 at our service. 



In case any reader of this paper should be kind enough to offer us 

 any useful suggestions, or on the other hand should desire f urther 

 information on any point, we give here the permanent address of one 

 of the authors, James C. McConnel, Brooklands, Prestwich, Man- 

 chester, England. We may add that copies of papers bearing on the 

 subject would be particularly acceptable. 



V. " On the Organisation of the Fossil Plants of the Coal- 

 raeasures. Part XV." By W. C. Williamson, LL.D., 

 F.R.S., Professor of Botany in the Owens College, Man- 

 chester. Received June 13, 1888. 



(Abstract.) 



The author describes and figures a series of specimens which throw 

 new light upon Corda'a two genera Zygopteris and Anachoropteris, as 

 they are adopted by M. Renault, but which specimens show that 

 both these genera can no longer be retained, even by those who 

 approve of such multiplications of ill-denned genera. He proposes, 

 therefore, the abandonment of Anachoropteris and the retention of 

 Zygopteris, so that 4i Zygopteroid " may be employed as a descriptive 

 adjective in connexion with some specially remarkable forms of 

 petiolar vascular bundles. Under the name of Eachiopteris hirsuta, a 

 new group of freely branching stems or rhizomes are figured and 

 described, characterised by having the exterior of their bark 

 abundantly clothed, especially in what appear to be the younger 

 shoots, with remarkably large curved multicellular hairs, closely re- 

 sembliug those similarly located in the young shoots of the Marsilea? ; 

 numerous cylindrical roots radiate from these axial organs. Under 

 the provisional name of Eachiopteris vetticillata attention is also 



