1078 
DE. HEEE ON THE FOSSIL FLOEA OF BOVET TEACET. 
It occurs of two different dimensions; some are 3 miUims. long and 2^ millims. 
wide ; others are 4-4^ miUims. long and millims. wide. They agree, however, with 
the exception of the dimensions, so perfectly, that they cannot be separated. 
These fruits are short, oval, rounded at the base, and furnished with a small round 
hole (fig. 7); the portion around the latter is somewhat wrinkled; at the apex it is 
fuiiiished with a short little point. The sides are rather flat, and over each side rims a 
flat longitudinal furrow (fig. 8, magnified 8 J & 12 J). As the seeds lie in the soft 
clay, they have hardly been much compressed ; the longitudinal furrows have therefore 
probably not been caused by the circumstance that the pericarpium was pressed in along 
the caiity of the fruit, but probably are characteristic of the fruit. If we open the firuit 
in a longitudinal section (fig. 9, and magnified 9 d & 10, and of the smaller fruits 13 & 
14), we perceive an elliptical partition, which contained, doubtless, one seed, of which, 
however, nothing is preserved. The wall of the pericarpium is relatively very thick ; it 
must therefore have been ligneous. In a few of the smaller fruits there was a longitu- 
dinal fissure. 
The whole organization shoAvs that we have here fruits, and not seeds. It is very 
like the fruit of Potamogeton (cf. Potamogeton Eseri, Ileer, Flor. Tertiar. Heh'et. i. p. 102, 
pi. 47. fig. 8) ; but the shape of the cell of the fruit (loculamentum) differs and makes 
it doubtful whether it belongs to this genus. In Potamogeton the dorsal part of the 
fruit is generally much more convex than the ventral part, while the apex of the fruit 
is somewhat incurved. 
47. Cakpolithes xitens, m. (Plate LXX. figs. 15-23.) 
C. fructibus subglobosis, nigro-nitidis, subtilissime et obsolete striolatis, monospermis, 
basi truncatis, cicatrice orbiculata vel angulata ornatis. 
Taxus margaritifera^ Ludwig, Palseontograph. viii. p. 73, pi. 60. fig. 191 
Very frequent in the coal of the 46th bed. 
Ludwig gives only a short description, which agrees, hoivever, pretty well, but for the 
expression “a circular plate with a thin margin and a short stalk*,” which I do not 
understand, and the dimensions, since his fruits are 6 millims. long, ivhilst those of Boi'ey 
are only 5 millims. The seeds of Taxus display a similar organization of the cicatrix ; 
it is always regularly orbicular or oval ; and the delicate longitudinal stripes are also met 
with ; but the walls are much thicker, and the internal cavity is' much smaller. Never- 
theless I do not know any genus with seeds and fruits which are so similar to those of 
Bovey as the seeds of Taxus. If it really belong to this genus, we should hai^e a thick 
ligneous testa, and but a small cavity. 
These little shining black bodies have nearly the same breadth and height (of 
5 millims.), and are therefore nearly orbicular, although they are frequently compressed 
in different directions. On the fore part of the perfectly preserved specimens ive observe 
a little point or apex ; the base is truncate, and in the middle appears a small round hole, 
* Dimnrandige und kurzgestielte Kreisflache. 
