267 
Pteridophytes. Are they vestigial? 
hypothesis, which fairly meets the facts, and proceeds on the 
same methods with regard to vestigial organs as is adopted in 
floral morphology. Goebel, alluding to my previous paper, 
says that my views were based on ‘ phylogenetic grounds V 
These certainly came in, but the actual foundation was on the 
fact that incomplete sporangia exist at the base of the stro- 
bilus 1 2 . Whatever decision is now arrived at, it will have to 
take into account those imperfect sporangia at the base of the 
fertile region in Lycopods, and elsewhere, which, on grounds 
explained above, I regard as vestigial. If these are vestigial, 
then the position taken up in this paper is the natural conse- 
quence. If they are not vestigial, what are they? 
Postscript . — Mr. Kidston, by letter, calls my attention to 
the case of Sphenophyllum majus , Bronn (see Kidston, 
Trans. Nat. Hist. Soc., Glasgow, vol. vi, p. 128), in which 
the cone is little modified in form from the ordinary foliage 
branch. The internodes are not shortened, and the bracts 
not more reduced in the limb than is seen in the segmented 
leaves of the ordinary foliage branches. Specimens of this 
fossil come from the Middle Coal Measures, and thus the 
similarity of the foliage shoot to the strobilus is seen in 
another fossil form of early date. F. O. B. 
1 Science Progress, iii, p. 120. 
2 See Studies, i, Phil. Trans., 1894, B, p. 535. 
