Barber . — On Nematophycus S tor riei, nov . „?/. 331 
It may be well, before proceeding, to give a summary of 
the characters on which the genus Nematophycus was founded, 
after which it will be easier to form an intelligible idea of the 
structural details peculiar to N. Storriei. The species already 
instituted are N. Logani , Dn. ; Hicksii , Eth. 1 ; laxum , Pen. 2 ; but 
from the two latter we can learn little at present. N. laxum 
is described from a few small pieces of fossil wood found 
associated with N. Logani , while the state of preservation in 
N. Hicksii is anything but what could be desired. These 
two ‘ species ’ will, however, be referred to in the sequel. 
For the present, then, I shall confine myself to a reference 
to N. Logani , because this is the only species of which any 
clear idea or good illustrations exist. 
Nematophycus Logani. 
Nematophycus Logani occurs in the form of fragments, 
frequently of large size, in the Lower Devonian rocks of 
Canada. The substance of the plant, as its name implies, 
consists of a number of thread-like cells. These appear as 
undivided, elongated, sinuous tubes, with the rarest exceptions 
entirely separate from one another. The tissue therefore 
forms a mass of interwoven filaments, recalling more or 
less vividly the structure of Codium and other non-septate 
Siphoneae (Fig. 1). 
In this latter plant the separate cells arise independently, 
as in the tissue of a fungus, and may be considered as separate 
plants. But it is not altogether safe to conclude that Nemato- 
phycus belongs to this class of plants, because such ‘ hyphal 
tissue 5 forms a large proportion of the older thallus of Fucus 
and other Phaeophyceae. 
The tubes of N. Logani , moreover, may be readily divided 
into two classes, according to their diameter and the thickness 
of their walls. Between the larger cells, visible under the 
lowest power, may be detected, on further examination, 
a dense network of much narrower tubes (Figs. 3, 3). 
1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. of London, 1881. 
2 Penhallow, Trans. Roy. Soc. Can., VI. iv. 1888. 
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