560 Weiss . — The Vasctdar Branches of 
Solms-Laubach (’ 91 ) in his description of the rootlets of 
Stigmaria , in which he reproduces Renault’s figure 1 , expresses 
some doubt as to the existence of such tracheal branches from 
the central cylinder of the rootlets, and does not support 
Renault’s view as to their mode of branching. 
In a previous publication (Weiss, 1902) I have pointed out 
that the vascular branches described by Renault do actually 
occur in Stigmarian rootlets, and have figured such a branch 
in a rootlet 2 , which was characterized by its well-preserved 
middle cortex. I was unable in the case of that specimen to 
do more than confirm Renault’s observation, which up to that 
time had not met with confirmation. On the publication of 
my paper, Dr. D. H. Scott kindly sent me some notes which 
he had made on Stigmarian rootlets in preparation for his 
‘Studies in Fossil Botany.’ From these it appears that Dr. 
Scott had no doubt as to the correctness of Renault’s observa- 
tion, as he himself had repeatedly come across such delicate 
vascular branches, and had ‘ been able in some cases to trace 
them to the cortex.’ He was, however, unable to accept 
Renault’s conclusion that they supplied lateral rootlets. 
Since my first observation of these vascular branches I have 
examined a large number of Stigmarian rootlets from the 
Cash, Hick, and Wild Collections of the Manchester Museum 
at the Owens College, with the result that I not only found 
numerous specimens showing such vascular branches, but 
was able to trace them to their termination in the cortex, as 
I mentioned at the end of my earlier paper (’ 02 ). From the 
relatively large number of rootlets, I have chosen four to illus- 
trate the structure, the origin, the course and termination of 
these vascular strands. Figures 1 and 2 (PI. XXVI) are taken 
from rootlets of a different type from that which I have 
previously figured (’02), but of the same type as the one repre- 
sented by Renault (’ 82 ). The middle cortex appears in these 
to be entirely absent, as is the case, indeed, in the majority of 
1 Solms-Laubach (’ 91 ), Fig. 35, p. 27. 
2 Slide, No. 109 in the Hick Collection in the Manchester Museum, Owens 
College. 
