20 



BRITISH EOCENE ELORA. 



cites Lamanonis, the woodcut of which has so frequently been introduced by Mantell in 

 his various works, may be from this stage. Fortunately, however, Henry Keeping, in 

 1876, came across several fine specimens of a Eeather-palm at Hordwell, now in the 

 Woodwardian Museum. I have since seen large ironstone concretions at Hordwell 

 traversed by similar leaves. 



§ 3. TuE Bembridge Elora.. — Nothing but some fruits of Characeae^ had been 

 noticed from these beds ; I have, however, seen branches of Conifers and seeds in the 

 Bembridge Marls, at Hempstead. J. A'Court Smith has recently collected an extensive 

 flora from Gurnet Bay, including, as he informs me, a large series of Dicotyledons, 

 Palms, &c. 



§ 3. The Hempstead Elora. — This flora was partially known to Lindley and 

 Hutton in 1832, who alluded to it in the preface to their work, as the " Upper Eresh- 

 water Eormation." Nymphsea and Zosterites are the only fossils mentioned by them as 

 occurring in it. Edward Eorbes in 1852" separated and described the Hempstead Beds. 

 In 1856'' he again described them, and mentions Typha-like leaves, Taxites Parisiensis, 

 three species of Chara, and Folliculites thalictroides as occurring in them. In 1862* 

 a second species of Folliculites was added to the list. In 1862 Heer^ described and 

 figured the then known Hempstead flora, ten species in all. In 1863 Ileer, in ' The 

 Lignite Eormation of Bovey-Tracey,' by Pengelly and himself, described four species 

 common to the two localities. 



Although the greater part of this flora is composed of seeds and mere fragments of 

 reed-hke plants, beautiful leaves of Nelumbium and a small Ean-palm have been found. 



BRITISH EOCENE FEENS. 



The objections to the determination of dicotyledonous leaves apply with considerably 

 less weight to those based upon Fern fronds. Where these, however, are fragmentary 

 and no trace of fructification is present, there is still great uncertainty, for a number of 

 existing genera include species that have the most varied venation. It is fortunate that 

 many of the Eerns described in the present work have been determined either from very 

 numerous, or exceptionally well-preserved specimens. We therefore beheve that, not- 

 withstanding the difficulties arising from the well-known tendency of certain Eerns to 



1 'Mem. Geol. Survey, Isle of Wight,' 1862. 



2 'Quart. Journ. Geol. Soe.,' vol. ix. 



3 ' Mem. Geol. Survey, Isle of Wight,' 1856, p. 44. 

 ^ Bristow, 'Mem. Geol. Surv., Isle of Wight,' 1862. 

 ^ ' Quart. Journ. Geol. Soe.,' vol. xviii, p. 369. 



