138 DR. W. R. M'NAB ON ARCTIC DRIFT WOODS. 
Sept. 1875. Found by Commander Markham." Itis not impro- 
bable that this may be the bark of the commonest drift wood, and 
may therefore help to identify the genus of the six specimens of 
wood just described. 
4. Taxus sp. (One species.) 
A single sample of very much waterworn pieces of drift wood, 
which have probably been embedded in mud, is referable to the 
genus Zaxus, having the spiral markings clearly shown in the 
wood prosenchymatous cells. It is marked M, “Out of cloth 
bag; no locality.” The annual rings are extremely imperfect and 
very numerous. 
5. PoruLus sp. (One species.) 
Two pieces of drift wood are to be referred to Populus (near 
tremula), and are interesting as being the only species of dicotyle- 
donous wood in the collection. One of the specimens (N) is 
marked “ Drift wood. Musk-ox Bay. Sept. 1875 ;" and the other 
(O), “East Cary Island. Capt. Feilden." The former isa por- 
tion of alarge stem, and is in an excellent state of preservation, 
while the latter is equally well preserved, but is only a part of a 
small branch. In both of the woods the annual rings are well 
developed. 
Of the 14 specimens submitted to me for examination, 13 are 
samples of wood, and 1 is of bark alone without any trace of wood, 
the bark being evidently coniferous and to be referred to the genus 
Picea. Ofthe 13 woods, 11 are coniferous, and only 2 dicotyledo- 
nous, both belonging tothe same genus, Populus, and to the same 
species. 
The 11 coniferous woods belong to four, or perhaps five, genera, 
there being 1 species of Pinus, 1 of Abies, 1 of Laris ?, 2 of Pinus 
or Larix, and 1 of Taxus. Of Pinus there are 2 specimens, of 
Abies 1, Larix or Picea 7, and Taxus 1—the commonest form being 
some kind of Picea, probably an American Spruce. 
I have not been able to identify the species, but, from careful 
comparison of specimens, am inclined to think that most of them 
are North-American ` and as the annual rings are usually very well 
developed, the trees must have grown in the more northern tempe- 
rate latitudes. 
