48 FOSSIL FLOKA OF THE JOHN DAY 15ASIN, OKKOON. [hi i.i.. i-04. 



QUEBCUS I'SEUJKJ-LYKATA Les<{. 



QuERCTs psEiTDo-LYRATA Lesq., Foss. n. Aurif. (iravel, p. 8, PI. II, figs. 1, 2, 1878; 



Proc. U. 8. Nat. Mus. Vol. XI, p. 17, PI. X, fig. 1, 1888; Knowlton, Univ. Cal., 



Bull. Dept. Geol., Vol. II, No. 9, p. 808, 1901. 

 Quercas pfiCKdo-lyratd (tcntUoba. 'Lesq., Proc. U. S. Nat. Miis., Vol. XI, j). 17, Pi. XI, 



fig. 1, 1878. 

 Quercus pseudo-lyrala Itrcvtfoliu Lesq., idem, p. 18, I'l. X, fig. 2. 

 Quercus pseudo-lyrata latifolia Lesq. , idem, p. 18, Pl.'XII, fig. 1. 

 Qucrcus pseudo-lyrata ohtusiloba Lesq., idem, p. 18, PI. X, fig. ?>. 



This species was orig-iually described and figiired by Lesiiiiereiix in 

 his Fossil Plants of the Auriferous Gravel (p. 8, PI. II, Hgs. 1, 2). 

 After the description he has the following to say regarding the locality: 



The locality is unknown, or at least not marked in the catalogue of the labels. The 

 matrix of the specimens is a white, soft clay like that of the Chalk Bluffs of Nevada 

 County, California, and no other species is preserved upon them except a fragment 

 of a leaf apparently referable to Casianea intermedia Lesq. These specimens are evi- 

 dently from the same formation and age as those of the Chalk Bluffs. 



Both of the type specimens on which Lesquereux based his descrip- 

 tion and the above statement are preserved in the Paleontological Col- 

 lection of the University of California (Nos, 1796 and 1796a), where I 

 recently had the opportunit}' of examining them. A glance at the 

 matrix was sufficient to show that they came from Van Horn's ranch, 

 John Da}" Valley, Oregon. They form a part of the original Vo}^ 

 collection, made about thirty years ago, which fact is recorded on the 

 back of each speciman. The matrix, mistaken by Lesquereux for a 

 white, soft clay, is made up of very fine spicules of glass of volcanic 

 origin, and is unmistakably that of the Van Horn's ranch locality. 

 From this it appears that Quercu,s pseudo-lyrata was not originally, and, 

 so far as now known, has never been found in California, or indeed 

 outside of the John Day Basin. These facts are of great importance, 

 since this characteristic species was relied upon to establish the cor- 

 relation between the Auriferous gravels and the Van Horn's ranch 

 deposits. 



I have before me all of the type and duplicate material, belonging 

 to the United States National Museum, on which Lesquereux based 

 the above enumerated varieties of this species, as well as the material 

 obtained by Dr. John C. Merriaiu in 1900 for the Universit}^ of Cali- 

 fornia, and by myself in 1901. This comprises fully one hundred 

 more or less perfect examples. There are, it is true, slight differences 

 between the various forms, but 1 am now quite convinced that they 

 are only individual variations, such as may be noted in the leaves of 

 many species of living oaks. I have placed all these leaves in a single 

 series and have found it quite impossible to draw an}^ satisfactory line 

 between them. They have consequentl}" l)ecn referred to the single 

 orisfinal form. 



