132 



BERRY— LOWER EOCENE FLORA OF 



[April 25, 



In the earliest epoch of the Eocene known as the Midway, the re- 

 lations of sea and land in the Gulf area differed in only minor par- 

 ticulars from that of the late Cretaceous. The waters of the Missis- 

 sippi Gulf were, however, deeper. This factor combined with a 

 much less influx of fresh water from the tributary streams, due in 

 some measure to the low relief of the land, enabled marine faunas to 

 reach well toward the head of the gulf. These faunas indicate sub- 

 tropical bottom temperatures northward as far as Paducah, Ky. The 



Fig. 1. Sketch map showing the approximate position of the shore line, 

 A-A. at the beginning of the Wilcox transgression and B-B the area covered 

 by the Wilcox sea during its maximum transgression. C-C, the extreme 

 northern limit of the Willcox flora under existing climatic conditions. 



known floras are very scanty and unsatisfactory and in the present 

 state of our knowledge do not merit an extended discussion. The 

 maximum transgression of the sea during the Midway epoch is 

 shown on the accompanying sketch map (Fig. 1). 



The Midway Eocene was succeeded by a long interval during 

 which the sea is believed to have withdrawn southward at least as 

 far as the position indicated on the accompanying sketch map (Fig. 

 1. ./-. / ). since terrestrial conditions are known at the extreme base 



