Mrs. D. H. Scott. 
116 
ON THE MEGASPORE OF LEPIDOSTROBUS 
FOLIAGE US. 
By Rina (Mrs. D. H.) Scott, F.L.S. 
[With Plate VIII. and Text-Figs 24, 25.] 
R. SCOTT has recently been revising the catalogue of his 
collection of fossil plants from the coal measures and in 
looking through the slides one’s eye gradually became impressed 
with the presence in many of the sections from Dulesgate and the 
Halifax hard bed of a curious looking, very badly preserved, black 
object, like a much crumpled spore with an appendage attached to 
it (Text-fig. 24, and Plate VIII., 1217). 1 
It was not until 1325 slides had been searched, that I came to 
the conclusion, that this object was of the nature of a spore and 
worth investigating. 
I drew each specimen found with the camera lucida and became 
more and more convinced that it was really a megaspore and not, 
as one might easily think at first sight, a badly preserved petiole or 
stem. Also it soon became evident that the appendage was a 
definite structure, less altered in the course of preservation than 
the megaspore to which it belonged. I was strengthened in my 
opinion that it was a megaspore by finding a specimen (Plate VIII., 
1490) in a sporangium, though the appendage was not shown. 
Up to the present, I have found over 40 specimens in 1500 
slides, so that it may be looked upon as a fairly common object; I 
hope that the megaspores drawn on Plate VIII may help others 
to find fresh examples. 
1704 (Plate VIII) appears to possess two appendages, this I 
think is due to the twisting of the megaspore so that one part 
of the appendage is cut at right angles to the other. 
I had temporarily given the name of Triletes diabolicus to this 
specimen: Triletes being the general name used by Mr. Kidston for 
megaspore and diabolicus explains itself when one has seen the 
object. 
Let us now examine the megaspore in more detail. It is not 
easy to decide whether it was spherical or egg-shaped, but on 
measuring round the outline of a camera lucida drawing with 
thread, I find that the diameter of a sphere would be about F5 mm. 
1 The numbers given in connection with the figures are the 
cabinet numbers of the slides in Dr. Scott's collection. 
