136 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



apparently indicating gradual changes in climate from cold to warm 

 and again from warm to cold conditions. The fact that the plants 

 have a very modern character as pointed out by the senior author 

 also shows that they are post Tertiary. 



The thickness of the beds — about 40 feet— and the fact that the 

 region was in part forested during the time of deposition of the beds 

 show that the time interval must have been of considerable length, 

 and that an extensive retreat of the ice-sheet must have taken place. 



Fossil Plants from the Point Grey Formation 



The plants which it has been possible to name are Salix Barclayi 

 Anders, Salix myrtilloides Linné, Chamaedaphne calyculata (Linné) 

 Moench, Kalmia glauca Ait., and Vaccinium ovalifolium J. E. Smith. 

 In addition to these five still existing species that can be definitely 

 recognized, the collection contains fruits of a Populus, leaves of 

 Arctostaphylos, fragments of the leaves of grasses or sedges, and a 

 considerable number of lignified branches, as well as fragments of 

 leaves that are not determinable. 



None of the foregoing plants are characteristic of the modern 

 Arctic, Tundra, or so-called Barren Ground flora. Not only is this 

 conclusion negatived by the species identified, but the presence of 

 the fruits of a Populus, and the branches of trees also indicate that 

 this general region was forested at the time that the plant-bearing 

 beds were deposited. The existing Sub-Arctic forest region, or what 

 is sometimes called the Arctic forested area of North America, has 

 a somewhat indefinite southern boundary, which, in general, coin- 

 cides with the southern limit of the great coniferous forest that stretches 

 across the continent from Alaska to Labrador and Newfoundland. 



There are no traces of conifers among the fossils, although such 

 negative evidence may be considered as worthless. None of the forms 

 specifically identified are characteristic of the Sub-Arctic forest zone 

 except Salix Barclayi, and there is some uncertainty regarding its 

 identity. Although Salix myrtilloides, Kalmia glauca, and Chamae- 

 daphne calyculata all occur in bogs in the Sub- Arctic zone, they are 

 more typical of similar environments in the Temperate Zone. Beyond 

 this, comparisons cannot profitably be made with the existing phyto- 

 geographic areas. For example, the region including Point Grey 

 now forms part of an area known as the Columbian region, character- 

 ized by dense forests, a heavy rainfall, and a definitely recognizable 

 assemblage of plants. That the rainfall of this region, after the 



