508 Descriptions of the Fossil Plants 



and Bellingham Bay are brought still nearer to that of the 

 Miocene of Europe. 



Planera dubia (Lesqx.) is regarded by Prof. Heer, as 

 identical with P. lingerie of Europe ; Cinnamonium cras- 

 sipes (Lesqx.) is said to be hardly distinguishable from 

 C. RossmcBsleri (Heer) ; Salix Islandica (Lesqx.) is com- 

 pared with Salix macrophylla (Heer) ; Quercus Benzoin 

 (Lesqx.) is referred to Oreodaphne Hceri (Gaud.); Quer- 

 cus Gaudini (Lesqx.) is said to be probably identical with 

 a species from the Italian Tertiaries, and Salisbnria poly- 

 morpha (Lesqx.) the representative of & adiantoides, lin- 

 gerie etc. 



By Prof. Heer, the coal strata of Vancouver's Island, 

 and the opposite coast of Washington Territory — strata 

 which contain the plants — are all regarded as unquestion- 

 ably of Miocene age. 



Now while this conclusion is apparently true as regards 

 one of these localities, we have strong reasons for believ- 

 ing that it is not true of the other; in short, that the coal 

 strata of Vancouver's Island, and those of the main land, 

 are not of the same age ; and that while the latter are 

 probably, if not certainly of Miocene age, the former are 

 Cretaceous. 



In 1858, this conclusion was arrived at by the writer 

 in an examination made at that time, of tiie collections 

 forwarded by the Boundary Commission 1o Washington, 

 in which the fossil plants of Nanaiino, Vancouver's Island, 

 were found associated with a large, well-marked species 

 of Lioceranms, and a Pholadomya [P. subelongata), previ- 

 ously described by Mr. Meek, with many other cretace- 

 ous fossils from another locality on Vancouver's Island. 

 (Trans. Albany Institute, Vol. IV. p. 37). 



The evidence now before us — if the specimens in the 

 collection were obtained in the circumstances reported — 

 show conclusively that all the plant-bearing strata about 



