18 .1. W DAWSON ()\ CIM'/rACKors AND TKUTIAIiV KI.OltAS 



these beds. Tlii-ir liorizou wonKl nppiar to he Middle Civtm-eous, and probably in-ar to 

 that of the marine Niol)rara srruuii of tin- Unilrd States ideologists, wiiiili was deposited iu 

 a vast Mediterranean Sea, whose northern shore seems to be represented by the Peace Kiver 

 iK'ds. This gives great importame to these plants, whieh lill up a i>ortion of the gap pre- 

 viously existing between the flora oi' the Dakota group and that of the Upper Cretaceous 

 oi" Vancouver Island. 



A small collection made by Dr. G. M. Dawson on the Susqua River, some distance to 

 the west oi" the localities on the Peace K'iver,* .shows, in :i luLilily iiiduratiMl black shale, 

 leaves of a spet'ies of Piling and of a laurel. 



Further to the south, and at the eastern base of the luxky Mountains, are the <oal 

 beds of the Bow and Belly River. wlii< h are Upper Cretaceous, ol' the " Pierre groirji " age. 

 The shales associated witli these coals have as yet atl'orded few fossils. The most a})undant 

 is a species of iSaiiioki. Leaves of Dtoonilfs, C'ltrjju/i/lies, and obscure exogenous leaves also 

 occirr. 



3. — Lnniiiiie of /he Norlh-Wesl Territories. 



From the Laramie or Lignite Tertiary series, overlying the more tyjiical Cretaceous, and 

 by some geologists regarded as itself Upper Cretaceous, while regarded by others as Ijower 

 Eocene, a number of species of plants have been obtained, all, so far as known, distinct 

 from those of the Cretaceous beds a))ove referred to. Many of them an- identical with those 

 de.scribed l»y Newlx-rry and T/'sijuerei^x from the Fort Union beds of the TTnited States, 

 and by Ucer in his memoirs on thi^ fo.ssils of McKen/ie River. 



Some of these, collected by Dr. G-. M. Dawson on the 4!tth parallel. 1 described in the 

 Report of his Survey. Others collected liy Dr, Selwyn have been described in the Report 

 of the Geolo<rical Survey (IST't-SO.) A lew others were recently obtained, but have not yet 

 b«i»n catalogued or described. It is proposed to catalogue all the si>ecies determimvl up to 

 this time in the sequel of this memoir. 



The following table, prepared by I'r. G. M. Dawson, will serve to show the ages of 

 the several deposits so far as yet ascertained : — 



•Keport Guulogical Siinoy orCanatla, 1870-«n, i». 104 B. 



