THE MARYLAND CYCADS. 459 



fragment was unknown to Professor Fontaine. Such a comparison, 

 however, shows beyond a doubt that the newly found specimen was 

 his "Fragment No. 1," and that he did not mention and probabl.y did 

 not see this small fragment (No. 4). 



It is a nearly square but somewhat rhombic slab from the side of a 

 trunk of unknown size. To assume an erect position it must stand on 

 one of the more acute angles, so that the longer diagonal would be parallel 

 with the axis or nearly so. The trunk had evidentl}^ suffered from lateral 

 compression, as shown by the great difference in the angle made by the 

 leaf scars on the two fractured edges. It includes the armor and a portion 

 of the woody zone. The substance is hard and heavy and the color is 

 dark brown outside and light yellowish on the inner face. The sides of 

 the rhomb measure 19 cm. and 20 cm., while the long and short diagonals 

 are, respectively, 23 cm. and 20 cm. The thickness is 8 cm. In the 

 view taken by Tyson (PL LXXXIII, Fig. 3) the specimen stood on 

 one of its straight edges, which was not horizontal or perpendicular to 

 the axis. In the one taken under my supervision (PI. LXXXIV, Fig. 3) 

 it was placed on one of its corners, so as to be in its normal position, 

 the sharp angle of the alveoli representing the keel of the petioles being 

 downward. 



PL LXXXV is a view from a platinum print by Mr. Smilhe of the 

 outer surface of the Dawson cycad (see p. 409), which proved to belong 

 to this species. This is a slab from the side of a moderate-sized trunk, 

 not reaching either base or summit. The fracture is along a very even 

 plane, exactly vertical, and passing out on the flattened side at one 

 edge and the thin side at the other of the considerably laterally com- 

 pressed trunk. In the first case it does not reach the surface, but there 

 is an irregular radial fracture that meets at right angles. The top is 

 also broken across at nearly right angles to the axis. All the fractures 

 except a small part of the upper one are fresh, as if recently made inten- 

 tionally. The surface is considerabl}^ worn and rather evenly so. The 

 specimen is well silicified and minute quartz crystals sparkle on the 

 broken surfaces. The outer parts and old fractures are of a light-drab 

 to fawn color, but the freshly broken surfaces are pink, with white or 

 rust-colored streaks and spots. The specific gravity is about medium. 

 The maximum height is nearly 22 cm., but the base is oblique, reducing 



