OLDER POTOMAC OF VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND. 547 



FOSSIL PLANTS FEOM VINEGAK HILL. 



[PI. LXXX, No. 56.] 



This locality is a cut on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad about a 

 mile east of Relay and immediately west of the bridge where that road 

 passes over the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad. It is at the foot of 

 a considerable hill, known as Vinegar Hill, which rises to the north of 

 that point. The precise spot is nearly midway of the cut, though 

 somewhat nearer its western end, on the north side of the tracks, begin- 

 ning about 6 feet above the tracks and having a thickness of 4 feet. 

 The water has here worn a small gulch, in the sides and bottom of which 

 the plants occur. It was discovered by Mr. Arthur Bibbins, who, in 

 October, 1895, made a considerable collection from it for the Woman's 

 College of Baltimore. One specimen was collected by Mr. Bibbins on 

 September 1, 1896, and the next day (September 2, 1896) a good col- 

 lection was made by Mr. Bibbins and Professor Ward. This collection 

 is deposited in the National Museum. 



The fossiliferous rock material from this locality differs from that 

 of all the others, though some of it closely resembles that of Federal 

 Hill in Baltimore. It is a friable, fine-grained, sandy clay, with an 

 imperfect cleavage, which is, however, better than that of the material 

 from the other localities. Hence the preservation is better. But here 

 also only small fragments of plants seem to have been preserved, prob- 

 ably owing to the fact that the place of entombment was remote from 

 the place of growth. The plants in it are fairly well preserved as a 

 rule, and some are quite distinct. As, however, the material is soft 

 and friable, the plant impressions are easily destroyed. 



The following is the list of species from this locality, with the number 

 of specimens of each species: 



Abietites angusticarpus Font .3 specimens. 



Abietites ellipticus Font 10 specimens. 



Abietites macrocarpus Font 18 specimens. 



Abietites niarylandicus Font. n. sp 1 specimen. 



Athrotaxopsis expansa Font. ? . . 1 specimen. 



Celastrophyllum obovatum Font 1 specimen. 



Cephalotaxopsis ramosa Font. ? 1 specimen. 



Cladophlebis Browniana (Dunk.) Sew. '^ 1 specimen. 



Cladophlebis constricta Font . . 3 specimens. 



Cladophlebis crenata Font • 2 specimens. 



