20 J. W. DAWSON ON CRETACEOUS AND TERTIARY FLORAS 
It will be seen from the above table that in America the flora of the Lower Cretaceous 
or Neocomian retains the meagre character of the Mesozoic age, even in its upper part ; but 
in the Cenomanian a rich Angiospermous flora was introduced and continued throughout 
the remainder of the Cretaceous into the Tertiary. 
I] —THE MIDDLE AND UPPER CRETACEOUS FLORA. 
For descriptions and figures of the plants of the Middle Cretaceous beds of the Queen 
Charlotte Islands, reference may be made to the Report of the Geological Survey of Canada 
for 1872-73. I would merely remark here that though regarded on the evidence of animal 
fossils as Middle Cretaceous, their fossil plants show that they must be somewhat older than 
the Dakota Group of the United States geologists, and therefore approaching to Lower 
Cretaceous. On the other hand, the beds on the Pine and Peace Rivers, explored by Dr. 
Selwyn and Dr. G. M. Dawson, would seem to be somewhat later than the Dakota Group, 
and near to the horizon of the Niobrara, in which period the greater part of the interior plain 
of North America was occupied with a warm-water sea, near the North-western margin of 
which the plants which abound in these beds must have flourished, and probably enjoyed 
as far north as 50° to 55’, a mild and equable climate, which may have become colder in the 
Upper Cretaceous period, but was again mild in the Laramie age. Both on account of the 
probable difference in age, and the geographical separation of the floras of the eastern base 
of the Rocky Mountains and of the Pacific Coast, it will be expedient to notice these 
separately. The first represents the flora of the interior of North America in the Lower or 
Middle Senonian of European geologists. The second, that of the Pacific Coast in the 
Upper Senonian or Lower Danian of Europe. (See table supra.) 
I.—Eastern Side of Rocky Mountains, more especially in the vicinity of the Peace and Pine Rivers. 
1. ASPLENIUM NIOBRARA, 8. N. (Fig. 1.) 
Frond bipinnate, small and delicate, the pinnules elongate, crenulate and with rows of 
oblique linear prominences, probably representing the indusia, I have referred this pretty 
little fern to Asplenium, on the evidence of the remains of fructification which it presents. 
The figure represents a single pinnule enlarged about four times. The specimens contain 
considerable portions of fronds, but imperfectly preserved. 
Collected by Dr. Selwyn on the Peace River. 
2. CycapiTEs Unugica.* 8. N. (Figs. 2, 2a.) 
Midrib strong, channeled, pinnae linear, one-nerved, acute, at angle of abont 50° to the 
midrib. Ordinary pinnae about 3 centimetres long ; longest, 5 centimetres or more. Near 
to C. Dicksoni, Heer, from the Upper Cretaceous of Greenland, but petiole stouter, pinnae 
more acute and at more acute angle to petiole. 
Collected by Dr. Selwyn at Pine River Forks, also at Table Mountain, in sandstone 
containing Inoceramus altus ; also at Peace River, 25 miles above Dunvegan. 

* The Indian name of the Peace River. 
