TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 53 



by the several rivers flowing into the German Ocean between the mouths of the 

 Scheldt and the Ehine. Thus there might he said to be on the English coast the 

 remains of an estuary without a river, and on the Belgian side of a river or rivers 

 without an estuary. The author followed up a description of the deposits by a 

 remark that he strongly suspected the disruption of this country fi-om the Continent 

 took place at a more recent period than was assigned to it by geologists generally. 

 His impression was that the forest-bed aud the crag-series which preceded it could 

 only be studied to advantage in connexion with and as part of the corresponding 

 beds of the Continent. 



On the SinTcing of Annesleij Collieri/. By Edward Hedley. 



On the Miocene Flora of North Greenland By Professor Osavald Heek. 

 Translated by Egbert H. Scott. 



The Royal Dublin Society is in possession of a ricli collection of fossil plants, 

 which have been brought from the Arctic Regions by Capt. Sir F. Leopold 

 M'Clintock and Capt. Philip H. Colomb, at various times, and have been pre- 

 sented by these gentlemen to the museum of the Society. I am indebted to the 

 kindness of I\Iij Robert H. Scott, Plonorary Secretaiy of the Royal Geological 

 Society of Ireland, for a sight of these specimens, as the Royal Dublin Society has 

 been induced to entrust the whole collection to me for examination. Before I 

 received these, Dr. J. D. Hooker had entrusted to me specimens which had been pre- 

 sented to the Museum at Kew by Dr. Lyall and Dr. "\Valker. In this latter collec- 

 tion I discovered seven determinable species, Avhich are also to be found among the 

 specimens of the Dublin collection. In this I find sixtv-three recognizable species. 

 If we add to this the additional species mentioned by Brongniart and Vaupel, we 

 obtain a total of sixty-six species. 



All the specimens of the Dublin and Kew collections come from Atanekerdluk, 

 as do also the specimens which Capt. E. A. Ingletield brought home, of which he 

 deposited a portion in the Museum of the Geological Survey, aud retained a portion 

 in his own hands. The former have been kindly sent to me by Sir Roderick Mur- 

 chison, while I have obtained the latter through the goodness of their owner. 



Atanekerdluk lies on the "Waigat, opposite Disco, in lat. 70°. A steep hill rises 

 on the coast to a height of 1080 feet, and at this level the fossil plants are found. 

 Large quantities of wood in a fossilized or carbonized condition lie about. Capt. 

 Ingletield observed one trunk thicker than a man's body standing upright. The 

 leaves, however, are the most important portion of the deposit. The rock in which 

 they are found is a sparry iron ore, which turns reddish brown on exposure to the 

 weather. In this rock the leaves are found, in places packed closely together, and 

 many of them are in a A^ery perfect condition. They give us a most valuable 

 insight into the nature of the vegetation which formed this primseval forest. 



The catalogue which I append to this paper will give a general idea of the flora 

 of this forest of Atanekerdluli ; but before we proceed to discuss it, I must make a 

 few remarks. 



(1) I7ie fossilized plants of Atanekerdluk cannot have been drifted from any great 

 distance. They must have grown up on the spot where they are fotmd. This is 

 proved— 



(rt) By the fact that Capt. Inglefield and Dr. Rink observed trunks of trees 

 standing upright. 



(b) By the great abimdance of the leaves, and the perfect state of preservation 

 in which they are found. Timber, hard fruits, and seeds, may often be carried to 

 a great distance by ocean currents, 1)ut leaves always fall to pieces on such a long 

 journey, and they are the more liable to suft'er from wear and tear the larger they 

 are. We find in Greenland \cry large leaves, many of which are perfect up to the 

 very edge. It is, however, difficult to work them out from a stone which splits 

 very irregularly ; and consequently we can hardly exhibit tlie entire lea-\-es in a 

 perfect condition. 



(c) By the fact that we find in the stone both fruits and seeds of the trees whose 



