

£ NEW SPECIES OP FOSSIL WOOD. 



there mountain peaks stood on! in bold relief like great 8ign-po 8 t 8 to guide tho t L 

 eler on Ins way. The water, when fouud, was in small quantities and alkaline 



Camping al Bear Spring, I turned the mules out to graze and left the men to , 

 pare an early dinner while I role down the valley to examine the thousands of an 

 mens thai lay scattered on each side of the valley along the elopes, whirl, were perl 

 50 feel bigb, the valley of the Lithodendron, at its widest part, being scarcely hal 

 milo. Along the slopes no vegetation whatever was to be seen, w°ood being tf 

 scarce. The soil was composed of clay and sand mostly, and these pctrifaetiJ 

 broken "'" , Millions o? pieces, lay scattered all adown these slopes. Son,,' of 

 large fossil trees were well preserved, though the action of heat and cold had broil 

 most of, he,,, in sections from 2 to 10 feet long, and some of these must have been , 

 mouse trees. Measuring the exposed parts of several, they varied from 150 to 200 til 

 in length, and from- to. U feel in diameter, the centers often containing most beauti, 

 quartz crystals. 



I encountered considerable difficulty in trying to procure two specimens answer! 

 to the Generals description, and which I thought would please. After finding t 

 larger of ihe two fossils sent, I could find no mate, the remainder being of a differ* 

 sj.ee.es, and | he exposed part broken in segments too short to answer Finally I cc 

 eluded to unearth part of the same specimen, which entered the ground at an am 

 of about twenty degrees. ' c 



Bringing hack men and teams, I dug along some 30 feet, finding tho second da 

 specimen, winch made a good match, and which .saw the light, perhaps for the fii 

 time for ages, though both were parts of the same tree. This was on the right bai 

 of Lithodendron, 1* miles from Bear Spring. I got both fossils loaded on the wa^on 

 and camped at the spring that night. ° 



In Colonel Swainc's letter, which probably accompanied the spec 

 mens, the following additional information concerning these is given: 



Only one oi the two specimens obtained from tho Lithodendron by Lieutena'u 

 Hogcwald was torwardod to Washington. This is the large dark-colored one. I 



the phoe o| the second one brought in from the locality of the Lithodendron a bette 

 specimen was found on the mesa to the north of and adjacent to Fort Win-ate abod 

 2 miles from the flag-staff. This is the smaller and lighter-colored one. 



Prom tins it would appear that only two specimens were sent to Wash 

 ington, but as there are two which, being- darker colored, answer wel 

 the description of those obtained at Lithodendron, and another bVhtei 

 one, winch is probably the one from the vicinity of Fort Win-ato m 

 may suppose that it was afterwards decided to send all three specimens 

 Certain it is that there arc three here now. 



The light colored one, which presumably came from Fort Win-ate 

 N. Alex ,s about 11 feet long, and has a diameter at the larger end 

 of 2J feet and at the small,, end of about 2 feet. The segment under 

 consecration came evidently from near the base of the trunk, as the 

 large end is broken off .just at the point where it begins to enlarge and 

 8pre a( 0!lt mto the roots. The whole trunk has been subjected to con 

 Nln-al,!e p.essuiv, as is shown hy (|w ^ ^ . f ^ rf 



n >sse, ( ,ou Tlnsis further confirmed by the microscopical examiua- 

 ' •»■ _ liiH. shows the cells to be slightly compressed. It is perfectly 

 silic, fled and exteriorly is light gray in color. The interior is vcr 3 dark 

 "earlyju jck, due to the presence of iron. 



'1're-c, IT, s. Nat. M„s.. v, is>o, ,, :! 



