96 Geological Society. 



Eemains of 25 species of plants were collected by Capt. Feilden, 

 and 18 of these are known from Miocene deposits of the Arctic 

 zone. The deposit is therefore no doubt Miocene. It has 17 

 species in common with Spitzbergen (78° 79' N. lat.), and 8 species 

 in common with Greenland (70° 71' N. lat.). With the Miocene 

 flora of Europe it has 6 species in common ; with that of America 

 (Alaska and Canada) 4; with that of Asia (Saghalien) 4 also. The 

 species found include 2 species of Equisetmn, 10 Coniferse, Fhrog- 

 niites oeningensis, Carex noursoakensis, and 8 Dicotyledons, namely, 

 Populus arctica, Betala prisca and Browjniarti, Coryliis Macquarrii 

 andinsiyais, Ulmus borealis, Viburnum NordensJcioldi, and NymphcBa 

 urctka. 



Of the Conifers, Torellia rigida, previously known only by a few 

 fragments from Spitzbergen, is very abundant, and its remains 

 show it to have been allied to the Jurassic genera Fhoenicopsis 

 and Baiera, the former in its turn related to the Carboniferous 

 Cordaites, and, among recent Conifers, to Podocarpus. Other Coni- 

 fers are, Thuites Ehrensiv'drdl ?, Taxodium distichum miocenum 

 (with male flowers), Pinus Feildeniana (a new species allied to P. 

 strobus), PiuKS polaris, P. abies (twigs covered with leaves), a species 

 of Tsnga (Pinus Dichsoniana, Heer), and a white Spruce of the 

 group of Pinus grandis and cariocarpa. Pinus abies, which occurs 

 here and in Spitzbergen, did not exist in Euroi)e in Miocene times, 

 but had its original home in the extreme north, and thence ex- 

 tended southwards ; it is met with in the Norfolk forest-bed, and 

 in the interglacial lignites of Switzerland. Its present northern 

 limit is 69 J^ N., and it spreads over 25° of latitude. Taxodium dis-^ 

 tichum, on the contrary, spread in Miocene times from Central Italy 

 to 82° N. latitude, whilst at present it is confined to a small area. 



Betala Brongniurti, Ett., is the only European species from Grin- 

 noil Land not previously known from the arctic zone. 



The thick lignite-bed of Gi^iunell Land indicates a large peat-moss, 

 probably containing a lake in which the water-lilies grew ; on its 

 muddy shores stood the large reeds and sedges, the birches, poplars, 

 Taxodia, and ToreUiae. The drier spots and neighbouring chains of 

 hiUs were probably occupied by the pines and firs, associated with 

 elms and hazel-bushes. A single elytron of a beetle (Carabites Fcil- 

 denianus) is at present the sole evidence of the existence of animals 

 in this forest-region. 



The nature of the flora revealed by Capt. Feilden's discoveries 

 seems to confirm and extend earlier results. It approaches much 

 more closely to that of Spitzbergen than to that of Greenland, as 

 might be expected from the relative positions of the localities ; and 

 the difference is the same in kind as that already indicated by Prof. 

 Heer between Spitzbergen and Greenland, and would indicate the 

 same kind of climatic difference. Nevertheless, the presence of 

 Taxodium disticJium excludes arctic conditions, and that of the 

 water-lily indicates the existence of fresh water, which must havp 

 remained open a great part of the year, Eeprescntatives of plants 



