No. 6.] DAWSON — PALEOZOIC FLORAS OP CANADA. 377 



plants of the genus PtUopliijton are locally abundant. A tabu- 

 lar view of this flora will be found in Part I. of my Report, 



(3.) Lower Erian Sah-Jlora. 



This belongs to the Lower Devonian Sandstones and Shales, 

 and is best seen in that formation at Gaspe and the Bay des 

 Chaleurs. It is characterised by the absence of true ferns, 

 Cidamites and SigiUaricE, and by the presence of such forms as 

 PsilopJiyton, Arthrostigma^ Leptoplileum and Prototaxltes. 

 Lepidodendron Gaspianum and Leptoplileum already occur, 

 though not nearly so abundant as Psilophyton. 



The Lower Erian plants have an antique and generalised 

 aspect which would lead us to infer that they are near the begin- 

 ing of the land flora, and practically few indications of land 

 plants have been found earlier within the limits of Canada. 



(3.) THE SILURIAN FLORA AND STILL EARLIER INDICATIONS 



OF PLANTS. 



In the Upper beds of the Silurian, those of the Helderberg 

 series, we still find Psllopliyton and Prototaxltes ; but below these 

 we have no land plants. In the United States, Lesquereux and 

 Claypole have described remains which may indicate the exis- 

 tence of Lycopodiaceous and x\unularian types as far back as the 

 beginning of the Upper Silurian, and Hicks -las found Prototax- 

 ltes and Psllo2?liyton in beds as old in Wales, along with some 

 uncertain stems named Berwynla. In the Lower Silurian the 

 Protannidarla of the Skiddaw series in England, may represent 

 a land plant, but this is uncertain, and no similar species has 

 been found in Canada. 



Specimens of the so-called Eopterls found in rocks equivalent 

 to the Hudson river series in France, convince me that this is 

 nothing but an aggregation of tabular crystals of pyrite, which 

 would seem, however, to have formed around thread-like stems 

 perhaps belonging to Algae, or perhaps of the nature of scolithuid 

 burrows. 



The Cambrian rocks are so far barren of land plants ; the so- 

 called Ecpliyton being evidently nothing but markings, probably 

 produced by crustaceans and other aquatic animals. In the still 

 older Laurentian, the abundant beds of graphite probably indi- 

 cate the existence of plants, but whether aquatic or terrestrial it 

 is impossible to decide at present, I have discussed this subject 

 Vol. X. Y No. 6, 



