THE GONDWANA FORMATION 249 



vascular nature of the organic elements composing the mass. The whole structure 

 recalls to one's mind the appearance given by longitudinal sections of the xylem 

 portion of the vascular area of a gymnosperm, such as Pinus. Only the xylem 

 area is represented in the specimen, no traces of medullary, cortical, or 

 phloem tissue being visible. Medullary rays are present, as shown in the micro- 

 photograph. 



" The xylem itself is composed of a homogeneous mass of vessels, tracheidal in 

 nature, no differentiation as regards the vascular elements being present. In places 

 one may readily make out in longitudinal sections dark opaque bands of much 

 greater size individually than the tracheides. These in all jsrobability represent 

 resin passages belonging to the xylem. It would seem, further, that these masses 

 might be considered as being nothing more than an aggregation of material similar 

 in nature to that of the walls, and due to changes under the process of jjetrifaction. 

 This, however, is opposed by the fact that they occur even in these small sections 

 fairly commonly, and at the same time are all of exactly the same size as regards 

 width. At all events they represent some definite structure, and in all probability 

 resin passages. 



"The walls of the tracheids themselves seen under the high power of the micro- 

 scope appear to be pitted, but the preservation is by no means good enough to 

 warrant any remarks on this except that, in the common wall of adjacent tracheides, 

 clear spaces occur of the same relative importance as the bordered pits of such a 

 gymnosperm as Pinus. These clear spaces occur regularly along the length of the 

 tracheides, and stand out strongly against the dark colour of the walls in their 

 preserved condition. 



" The nature of the xylem itself leads to the conclusion that it is a portion of a 

 gymnospermous plant, re.sembling strongly in nature the same portion of a coni- 

 ferous plant." 



Since the time that Professor Goddard's description was published in " The 

 Heart of the Antarctic," vol. ii. p. 300, slides of the wood have been prepared by 

 Dr. Newell Arber, and in his opinion one would not be justified in stating anything 

 further about this fossil organism beyond the fact that it is definite wood. Still 

 later, in March 1912, further sections have been prepared at the University of 

 Sydney which show traces of occasional coarse cellular patches amongst the finer 

 tubes. These were not observed in any previous sections. 



The evidence of this wood is of importance chiefly as bearing on the downward 

 limit of age of the Beacon Sandstone formation. The lower limit of the age of 

 the Beacon Sandstone cannot well be carried below Lower Carboniferous or Upper 

 Devonian. The wood is of course of no value for determining the upward limit in 

 geological time of the Beacon Sandstone. 



The chemical composition of the coal obtained by F. Wild from one of the seams 

 in situ is also of interest. The following is the analysis of this coal from latitude 



