256 Berry : Araucarian remains 



of the latter and a twig of the former preserved as a brownish im- 

 pression in the Rockfish Creek clays being practically indistinguish- 

 able. This resemblance in form, habit, and stomatal characters, 

 reinforced by the occurrence of characteristic Araucarian cone- 

 scales in the same beds at certain localities, renders the identifica- 

 tion reasonably conclusive. 



A wide comparison has been made with other and similar fossil 

 remains of Mesozoic age. The most nearly related form seems to 

 be Araucarites ovatus (plate 14, figures 4, 5) described by Hol- 

 lick * from the Cliffwood clays of New Jersey, which differ merely 

 by their larger size, absence of basal characters, and much less 

 pointed tips ; in fact, if the two were found in closer association or 

 if in the abundant Carolina material any specimens had approached 

 Araucarites ovatus in size I would be disposed to consider them as 

 the variants of a single species. As the case stands, it seems 

 better to institute a new species, since the leaves in the Carolina 

 material are sufficiently and uniformly different enough to be readily 

 recognized, and there is the further possibility that the New Jersey 

 species may be more or less closely related to the modern genus 

 Agathis {Dammara) rather than to Araucaria, 



A genus which was at once suggested for comparison was the 

 genus Nageiopsis of Fontaine, the real botanical position of which 

 is so uncertain. It is true that Fontaine characterizes the leaf- 

 arrangement as distichous or subdistichous, but this is the ordinary 

 habit of numerous conifers with a spiral phyllotaxy and one which 

 would be emphasized in fossil remains preserved as impressions. 

 There is some resemblance to Nageiopsis ovata Font.f from the 

 Older Potomac of Virginia. However, an examination of the type 

 material in the U. S. National Museum demonstrates the distinct- 

 ness of the Carolina species, as it does also the exceedingly inac- 

 curate figures of Fontaine's monograph. Another of this author's 

 species which is somewhat similar is Nageiopsis montanensis, 

 described from the Kootanie of Montana, % but since it is founded 

 ^_f!!? le specimen and there are no features which indicate that 



•Home*, TW N. Y. Ac«i. Sd. 16 : ,*8. pL „. f. S a, + 1897. 



1889 ATNE ' U * S ' Ge0l> SurV - Monog ' I5: *"• # <<■ /• 41 Pi- 80. f. 5- 



X Fontaine, be. at. 48 : 312. pi. 73 . /. /0 . I9o6 . 





