FLORA OF THE KOOTANIE FORMATION. 285 



As these fossils showed some forms not previously found in the 

 Kootanie flora, and as the new field promised to be of unusual interest, 

 Professor Ward was induced to visit it in the summer of 1895, for the 

 purpose of making larger collections. In this he was very successful, 

 making a considerable collection of selected specimens. The rock 

 material of the specimens collected by Professor Ward and Mr. Weed 

 is identical and the plants are the same, indicating that although Professor 

 Ward did not succeed in finding the precise spot from which Mr. Weed 

 collected his specimens, the two collections were made from essentially 

 the same JDeds. It is the object of this paper to describe the plants 

 found in both collections. 



The spot from which these specimens were collected is situated in 

 Cascade County, Mont., 5 or 6 miles south of the stage station of Geyser 

 and 40 miles east-southeast of Great Falls. The plants occur in a fine- 

 grained, very fissile shale, that has a lead-gray color. The shale is 

 connected with a coal seam, and Weed's specimens come from the roof 

 shales of a coal seam. From the nearness of this locality to Great Falls, 

 where plants had been previously collected, we might infer that the 

 Geyser plants occur in the same formation. This their general character 

 confirms. In speaking of the strata which yield the fossils I shall desig- 

 nate them the Geyser beds. 



The shale in which the fossils are found is well fitted to preserve 

 them in great perfection, but unfortunately they seem before entombment 

 to have been long immersed in water. Hence they are found in small 

 fragments, but some of these show even the most delicate parts and 

 impressions. 



Besides this a considerable number of the species are represented 

 bj' numerous specimens, selected to show as much detail as possible, 

 so that a good deal of the character of the plants may be made out JDy 

 putting them together. Owing to the fine-grain and paper-like cleavage 

 of the shale a number of details are shown with uncommon distinctness. 



Considering the large amount of material the number of species is 



189S. (See pp. 481-482.) Professor Fontaine was not aware that his previous report had been puMished, 

 and in the final elaboration treated all the collections together, not preserving any of the memoranda made in 

 determining Mr. Weed's collections. As a consequence it has proved impossible in most cases to identify the 

 types of his first report. Nearly all those selected for illustration were from my own collections. Mr. Weed's 

 specimens are generally very imperfect, and I have not attempted to have any drawn that were not selected for 

 this purposely by Professor Fontaine. — L. F. W. 



