1909] Sinnott,— Paracedroxylon, a new Araucarian Wood 169 
in the two groups. In Cedroxylon, the horizontal and end-walls are 
frequently perforated by simple pits. In Cupressinoxylon, these pits 
are absent or poorly developed, and the walls of the ray-cell are con- 
sequently smooth. 'The criterion of the presence of wood-parenchyma 
can be used, according to GOTHAN, only with caution and in connection 
with this more distinctive character of separation. Gorman would 
certainly include our lignite under Cupressinoxylon, for the horizontal 
and end walls of the ray-cells are entirely smooth and free from pits. 
Until a few years ago, the Araucurineae were supposed to be an 
isolated family, with wood-structure clearly distinct from that of the 
rest of the Conifers. Only recently have forms connecting the Arau- 
carineae with the other Conifers been observed. In 1906, Нотллск 
and JEFFREY (3), on investigating the anatomy of the Cretaceous 
genus Brachyphyllum, found it to be an undoubted Araucarian, as 
shown by its flattened pits and thin-walled rays, but differing from the 
modern members of the family in the absence of wood-parenchyma, 
the scarcity of alternate pitting, and the presence near wounded regions 
of traumatic resin-canals. In a recent memoir by these investigators 
(4), the name Brachyoxylon is given to this type of wood. It is char- 
acteristic of a number of genera, not hitherto believed to have been 
connected with the Araucarineae, which have been described by them 
from the Cretaceous deposits of Staten Island, New York. 
In 1907, Jerrrey (5) described an interesting new fossil genus, 
Araucariopitys, which, while clearly an Araucarian conifer, approaches 
much more closely than does Brachyoxylon the structure of the Abieti- 
neae. It possessed deciduous shoots, thick-walled, much-pitted ray- 
cells, and abundant traumatic resin-canals. 
In 1907, also, GorHan (6) described a new species of Cedroxylon, 
C. transiens, in which the alternating and flattened pits of the Arau- 
‘arians are very often present. Wood-parenchyma occurs at the end 
of the year’s growth, the ray-cells are thick-walled and pitted, and 
one “anomalous” resin-canal was observed. GorHaw also refers 
to Larix Johnseni of Ѕснвбтек, which possessed alternating pitting 
but numerous resin-canals. 
It is instructive to look at our fossil in the light of these recent obser- 
vations. As above remarked, it would ordinarily be classed as a 
Cedroxylon or a Cupressinoxylon. We have already noticed, how- 
ever, the thin-walled and Araucarian-like structure of the rays. Such 
extreme thinness and smoothness of wall is very rare, if not quite ab- 
