30 
where they do occur ; of the former genus the most frequent 
are the Neuropteris, gigantea Loshii and heterophylla, at 
Gildersome, Wakefield, Rotherham, and Barnsley, where the 
latter acquires a tolerably large size, and is, perhaps, the best 
marked species, from the peculiar tendency of the leaflets to 
become subdivided, like the fronds of Osmunda regalis ; the 
gigantea, however, is seldom perfect. In nodules of iron 
stone from Low Moor and Shelf, I have observed Villiersii 
and acuminata; and at Gristhorp, recentior and arguta. The 
genus Pecopteris, which alone contains above seventy species, 
has, I believe, only nine representatives within our district, 
the Pecopteris lonchitica, at Gildersome and Wakefield; serra 
at Newton, near Wakefield ; the Serlii, nervosa, plumosa, 
heterophylla, and Miltoni from Elsecar and Rotherham, from 
whence remarkably fine specimens have been obtained, which 
though only fragments of fronds, by their magnitude and 
the diameter of their rachis, seems to justify the supposition 
already expressed, that they formed the herbaceous portion 
of some of the other vegetable giants entombed in the same 
strata. In the collection belonging to this Society are also 
specimens of Pecopteris Mantelli and urophylla, but from 
what part of the county cannot now be ascertained. To 
these may be added the following species from the lower 
carboniferous series at Scarbro' : — Pecopteris, denticulata, 
exilis, Haiburnesis, Huttoniana, ligata, lobifolia tenuis, 
Whitbiensis, acutifolia, undans, propinqua, Williamsonis, 
obtusifolia, polypodioides ; the last five of which exhibit 
the fructification peculiar to this family of plants in a very 
beautiful manner. In most of the early discovered specimens 
the thecse were empty, but Dr. Murray, of Scarbro', has 
informed me that subsequently examples have been found with 
the cells perfect, and still containing the seeds, which is a 
highly interesting and important addition to our knowledge 
of these plants, and scarcely to be expected when the ex- 
