2 Buttkrworth, Fossil Seeds of Lagenostoma. 



the seeds were borne in clusters, each seed being carried 

 on a separate pedicel. In support of this view some seeds 

 are shown that still retain the impression where the 

 stalk has been attached, and in a paper read before the 

 Geological Society in 1872 by Mr. Carruthers, he also 

 figures Cardiocarpon Lindleyi as borne in clusters. 



In Professor Williamson's eighth memoir {Phil. Trans, 

 167, 1878) he describes two species of Lagenostoma, L. 

 physoides and L. ovoides; but it is the figure of L. 

 physoides that represents the seeds under consideration. 



From a careful reading of Williamson's description of 

 this seed it appears that he had a slight suspicion that 

 the seed was not perfect in all its parts ; one common 

 defect attending these seeds, which is very much against 

 reading their structure correctly, is, that they are 

 often surrounded with dark carbonaceous matter. This 

 was the case with Williamson's seeds, and is also the 

 case with many seeds in my own cabinet. I supplied 

 Williamson with many seeds detached and partly em- 

 bedded in the matrix, but I do not remember one that 

 did not show the dark carbonaceous band, which is so 

 opaque and requires to be ground so thin that the 

 structure (when present) is often destroyed before it is 

 ground thin enough. I refer to this carbonaceous matter 

 so pointedly because it is quite clear to me that William- 

 son has been led astray by its alteration of the structure. 

 In the batch of seeds just discovered the above carbona- 

 ceous matter is not present, and the structure of the 

 respective parts of each seed is perfectly clear so far as it 

 has been preserved. I should like here to direct attention 

 to a statement Williamson made in his description of 

 L. physoides. In his eighth memoir, p. 242, referring to 

 Fig. 78b, he says "even the endotesta of the seeds being 

 entirely absent"; but from my photographs (Plate 8) 



