468 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Yol. ix. 



Although this species is not as widely distributed as the Se- 

 quoia Langsdorfii,, we can yet trace it from the middle of Italy 

 to north Greenland, in latitude 70'-' north, and it is met with 

 from the beginning of the Miocene to its close. 



The S. Langsdorfii and Sernhergii represent the two extreme 

 forms of the genus Sequoia. It is therefore very noticeable that 

 we have in the Miocene six species, which fill up the gap. They 

 are the S. Couttsioe, S. affiiiis, Lesq., S. imbricata. Hr., S. sihirica 

 Hr., S. Heerii Lesq., and >S'. hiformis Lesq. Of these, *S'. 

 Coiittsice, Hr,, is the most common and most important species. 

 It has short leaves, lying along the branch, like >S. Sternhergii 

 and gigantea, and small round cones, like S. Langsdorfii and 

 sempervirens I have received from Bovey Tracey in Devon- 

 shire splendid specimens of cones, seeds and twigs, which I have 

 described in the Philosophical Transactions. More lately. Count 

 Saporta has described specimens of cones and twigs from Armis- 

 san. Specimens of this species have also come to me from 

 Samland and Greenland, and must therefore have had a wide 

 range. It is very like to the American >S'. ajfinis, Lesq. 



In the Tertiary there have been already found fourteen well 

 marked species, which include representatives of the two living 

 types, S. sempervirens and S. gigantea. 



CRETACEOUS. 



We can follow this genus still further back. If we go back to 

 the Cretaceous age, we find ten species, of which five occur in 

 the Ursfon of the Lower Cretaceous, two in the Middle, and 

 three in the Upper Cretaceous. Among these, the Lower Cre- 

 taceous exhibits the two types of the Sequoia sempervirens and 

 S. gigantea. To the former the S. Smithiana answers, and to 

 the latter, the Reichenhachii, Gein. The ^S'. Smithiana stands 

 indeed uncommonly near the S. T^angsdorfii both in the appear- 

 ance of the leaves on the twigs and in the shape of the cones. 

 These are, however, smaller, and the leaves do not become nar- 

 rower toward the base. The S. pectina, Hr., of the Upper 

 Cretaceous has its leaves arranged in two rows and presents a 

 similar appearance. The S. Reichenhachii is a type more distinct 

 from those now living and those in the Tertiary. It has indeed 

 also stiff, pointed leaves, lying forward, but they are arcuate, and 

 the cones are smaller. This tree is already known for a long 

 time, and it serves, in the Cretaceous, as a guiding star, which 



