252 Browne .— A Second Contribution to our Knowledge of the 
the other branches, and when, after the separation of the branch stele, the 
branch as a whole separates from the main axis, its vascular tissues assume 
a course nearly, but not quite, parallel with those of the main cone. At 
the point of separation of the two steles that of the branch cone consists of 
two large unequal bands of xylem. At a level at which the separate steles 
are still connected by a wide band of parenchyma the band of tracheides 
on the side of the branch stele near the larger stele gives off two traces. 
These curve round in divergent directions, and higher up enter the two 
sporangiophores nearest the terminal cone; these sporangiophores are 
inserted on the branch cone in an adaxially lateral position with reference 
to the main cone. The traces are not given off in clearly marked whorls, 
and nearly every section passes through traces in different stages of their 
course or origin. This is true of many of the apices of the cones of this 
species. Nevertheless, from the size of the stele and the height of the 
branch it is clear that over one-third of its circumference this branch cone 
bears two whorls, while over the other two-thirds only one whorl is developed, 
and that the upper one of the two. The reason for the absence in the lower 
whorl of sporangiophores on one of the flanks of this third branch cone is that 
the latter is here very close to the second branch of the cone, lying just below 
and to one side of it, and to the parent cone. The lowest imperfect whorl 
seems to consist of five sporangiophores, one bifascicular, while the upper 
complete one, given off when the stele has become narrower, consists of six 
sporangiophores. Most of the traces of this branch pursue a course that 
has undergone a certain amount of torsion to right or to left. Above these 
two whorls we find, in the branch cone, a rather large strand resulting from 
the condensation of the stele, which, as in other cases, runs through the 
terminal structure of the cone, widening out before it dies out. 
The Fertile Stem below Cone D. 
Cone D, kindly given me by Mr. E. M. Cutting, M.A., was a very large 
mature cone, somewhat withered before it was pickled. The region transi¬ 
tional from the cone to fertile stem showed some abnormalities ; over a part 
of the circumference of the axis the annulus appeared to be replaced by 
scattered sporangiophores (cf. Duval-Jouve, p. 175). There seemed to be 
the usual supra-annular anastomoses of the vascular strands, but the tissues 
in this part of the stem had collapsed too much, before it came into 
my hands, for it to be possible accurately to follow the course of the strands. 
In other respects the lower part of the cone seemed to resemble the 
corresponding region in other cones of E. maximum .; i. e. the bundles con¬ 
tained relatively few, poorly lignified tracheides, and the very narrow cortex 
was traversed by traces inserted at somewhat various levels and pursuing a 
steeply downward course. 
In the sterile stems of this species generally a varying number of 
