FLORA OF THE KOOTANIE FORMATION. 283 



several of the plant beds in and near the town, from which he and others 

 had made collections. They seem to represent three horizons, and collec- 

 tions which he showed me at his house indicated as many somewhat 

 different floras. We were unsuccessful in finding plants except at one 

 locality, viz, that on the left bank of the river a short distance above the 

 smelter. We did not have the proper tools for making the necessary 

 excavations, and as I was anxious to see the beds that Mr. Weed had 

 described, I did not make any collections there. Mr. Mortson promised to 

 make a collection and send to me, but I have not received it. 



On the 26th I proceeded l^y rail to Belt, and thence by private con- 

 veyance up Belt and Otter creeks to the stage station called Geyser. 

 This place is on Hay Creek, directly north of the mines where Mr. Weed 

 obtained his best collections, and I made it my base of operations. On 

 the 27th I went to the mines about 6 miles south of Geyser. The first 

 day was chiefly spent in a vain search, and several coal openings visited 

 proved barren. I had some notes from Mr. Weed as to the localities, but 

 they were not suflSciently definite to render it certain that I found the 

 precise spot where he obtained the plants. In fact, I am satisfied from 

 his description, and from the indications he gave me on a map, that I did 

 not find his locality, as the map was inaccurate, and nothing correspond- 

 mg to his indications was found. But it was not necessary to find his 

 locahty, as fossil plants occur at many of the abandoned coal openings, 

 and a small collection was made from one of these late in the day. Here 

 the plants occur in dark clay 2 feet above the top of the mine. The clay 

 tended to break into cubes, so that only small pieces could be obtained. 

 The following day a much better locality was found in another mine only 

 a few hundred yards from, the first. Here the plants occurred in the roof 

 of the mine, which was simply an opening in the side of a ravine. Large 

 pieces of the dry and fine-grained drab-colored clay could be detached, 

 brought out, and worked up. Fine specimens of large impressions were 

 obtained by splitting the slabs, which was easily done, the plants forming 

 natural planes of cleavage. Two days were spent in this work, and a large 

 collection was made, filhng six boxes. In the bed of Hay Creek north and 

 east of Geyser I found considerable silicified wood, which probably belongs 

 to the same formation as the coal, but thus far none of this has been 

 studied. 



