Section IV., 1892. [ 79 ] Trans. Eoy. Soc. Canada. 



VI. — On the Correlation a/ earii/ Gretaceoud Flora-'i in Canada and the United States, 



and on some new plants of this period. 



By Sir J.M\^illiam Dawson, LL.D., F.R.S., etc. 



(Read Juue 2, 1802.) 



The purpose of this pajDer is to illustrate the preseut state of our knowledge respect- 

 ing the flora of Cauada iu the early Cretaceous, and to notice some new plants from An- 

 thracite, collected by Mr. H. M. Ami, F.Gr.S., and from Canmore, collected by Dr. Hayden. 

 It is in continuation of my paper on the Mesozoic Floras of the Rocky Mountain Region 

 of Canada iu the Transactions of this Society for 1885 ; but is still to be regarded as merely 

 introductory to the study of an interesting stage of the Cretaceous Flora, first recognized 

 iu North America in the Rocky Mountain Region of Canada, and which it is certain will 

 yield many additional treasures in the progress of exploration and mining in the district 

 iu question. 



I. — Summary of G-eological Facts. 



Rocks of Lower Cretaceous age were first described in Canada by the late Mr. James 

 Richardson in the Report of the G-eological Survey for 1872-T3. In appendices to that 

 report, notes on the plants are given by the author, and on the marine animal remains by 

 the late Mr. Billings. With respect to the former the most remarkable specimens were 

 fruits and fragments of leaves of a fine species of Diooniles, which I described and figured 

 as Cycadeocarpus {Dioonites) Coluvibinnus. ' and coniferous woods referred to the genera 

 Cupressoxylon and Taxoxylou. These fossils, though few, indicated in my judgment an 

 age somewhat greater than that of the Nanaimo coal formation of Vancouver Island and 

 probably Lower Cretaceous or even Jurassic. A similar conclusion was arrived at by Mr. 

 Billings from the associated animal fossils, on some of which he had also the opinion of 

 the late Mr. Meek. Both these palœoutologists compared them with the Shasta group of 

 the California geologists. The animal fossils collected by Richardson were subsequently 

 more fully described and figured by Mr. Whiteaves. - 



In 1878, Dr. G. M. Dawson made a more thorough exploration of the Queen Charlotte 

 Islands.'' In this he divided the Cretaceous rocks into groups, and ascertained that the 

 lowest rest unconformably on the Triassic. He also collected many additional fossils, 

 which were described and figured by Mr. Whiteaves. ' In this paper Mr. Whiteaves 



' Report cited, Page 69 and Plate. 

 - Mesozoic Fossils of Canada, Vol- I., Part I. 

 ' Rept. Geol. Survey of Canada, 187S-79. 

 * Mesozoic Fossils, Vol. I., Part III. 



