NOTES ON SOME P^OSSIL PLANTS FROM THE TRINITY DIVISION 

 OF THE COMANCHE SERIES OF TEXAS. 



]',V 



William Morris 1'oN taini-:. 

 (With ]'l;it(i.s xxxvi-xi.iM.) 



The fossil i)laiits whose description lorm Uw subject of this paper 

 were colU'cted ))y their discoverci', ]\Ir. ,\. ^V. JIarvey, of Olen Jiose, 

 Texas. They occur in the bed of th(^ Tabixy lliver, two mih^s above (Jlen 

 Hose. The material coiitainiii.u- the Ibssils is a ])rctty linn limestoue, 

 ((uite free from sand and clay, and lii;lit jj;ray in color, which was evi- 

 dently a deposit formed at a considerable distance fiom the shore. 

 This necessitated a proh)n.ued immersion of the idaiit remaiiLS in water 

 and their transpoit:ition ov<'r loiii;- distances. This conclusion, drawn 

 IVom tlie nature of the sediment, is <;on(iiined by the, condition and 

 clKuacter of the ])Iant Ibssils. They are very fragmentary, and con- 

 sist cluelly of tyi)es that can withstand ma(!eratiou. The fact that the 

 plant remains proltably did not obtain speedy entoud)ment in sedi- 

 ments must be taken into coirsideration in (h'ternuniug- the lu'obable 

 character of the flora of the Trinity e])0ch, Ibi- the absence of certain 

 ty])es may be accounted for by the conditions attending the fossiliza- 

 tion of vegetation. 



The limestone is without minor structure ])lanes and cleavage. It 

 breaks in any direction, ami this fact uuikes it ditticidt to work out, 

 without additional connninution, the fragments ])reserved. An addi- 

 tional ditlti(;ulty in securing identitiable specimens is caused by the fact 

 that the vegetable matter of the fossils in many cases jteals off from 

 the stone, leaving an imprint tha,t does not always give the true char- 

 acter of the relic. 



Most of the fossils are in the form of small fragnu'uts. (Jones of 

 conifers and bits of twigs of the same much predominate. Tlu' twigs 

 have usually thick leatliery leaves and a- dense (lural)le ei)idermis. 

 These facts indicate that the plants and ]»arts of ]»lants that can with 

 stand long <lritting are i)redominant, because more ])erisliable forms 

 were destroyed in transportation. ( !onilers of certain types aie nu)st 

 common, i)rol>al)]y because, und(M' th(^ exist iiig conditions, they were 

 best fitted for preservation, and not because they were most common 

 in the flora. LMants fossilized after lu'ing drilted long distances can 



I'ro(Hiediui:3 Natinuul Miiscmii. Vnl. XVI— No. 9:i4. 



261 



