al does not appear pertinent to our discussion of ambers. 
Amber has been reported from several North Ameri- 
can Cretaceous deposits. Langenheim, Smiley and Gray 
(1960) discussed one of the oldest occurrences of amber 
known from late Early Cretaceous beds along rivers on 
the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain. The inclusions in the 
amber have not been studied as yet, but they appear to 
be pollen, spores and possible fungal mycelia, as well as 
other fragmentary plant parts. This amber likewise has 
been analyzed neither chemically nor physically. Several 
lines of evidence seem to indicate that the Cretaceous 
rocks containing the Alaskan amber are of non-marine 
origin. This Alaskan amber has never been found with 
florules lacking taxodiaceous remains ( T’avodium or Para- 
tavodium). Although pollen of the Pinaceae constitutes 
the most abundant single microfloral remains, there is a 
conspicuous lack of megafloral evidence of the pines. 
Langenheim, Smiley and Gray assumed that pine pollen 
was derived from upland areas, and that its great abun- 
dance reflects the enormous production of pollen and its 
wind dissemination. On the other hand, the presence of 
abundant taxodiaceous-like grains augments abundant 
foliage remains. These authors think that the close asso- 
ciation of the amber with these taxodiaceous remains sug 
gests the source of the resin. They, therefore, concluded 
that the fossil resin might have been derived from taxo- 
diaceous trees growing in proximity to lakes, coastal 
swainps and other bodies of water. 
Late Cretaceous amber is known from several locali- 
ties along the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Knowlton (1896) 
described amber from Cape Sable, Maryland, where it 
was found in the interstices of logs determined as Cu- 
pressinoxylon bibbinsi Knowl. (considered synonymous 
with a Sequoia at that time). Other small deposits in- 
clude those at Gay Head at Martha’s Vineyard, Massa- 
[ 2381 J 
