140 Rpvieics — J. F. Whiteaves — TJnio-like Shells. 



Queen Charlotte Island series ; (3) The Cretaceous at other localities 

 in the province. It is judged from palgeontological evidence that the 

 lower and middle, or most fossiliferous, subdivisions of the Nanaimo 

 group are referable to the Upper or Later rather than to the Lower 

 or Earlier North American Cretaceous. The Queen Chaidotte Island 

 Cretaceous has been thoroughly investigated, first by Mr. James 

 Richardson, and later by Dr. G. M. Dawson. Numerous fossils have 

 been collected by both these explorers, and they have been described 

 by Mr. Whiteaves in his " Mesozoic Fossils," published by the G-eo- 

 logical Survey of Canada. Cretaceous rocks occur also at Tatlayoco 

 Lake, Jackass Mountain, Sigutlat Lake, and the Iltas3y3Uco River, 

 all on the mainland. 



The Ytilcon District. — This district, though included in the North- 

 West Territories, is geologically more nearly related to British 

 Columbia, and it is therefore considered here. Fossil plant remains 

 (reported upon by Sir William Dawson) were found by the members 

 of Dr. G. M. Dawson's exploring expedition of 1887-1888 (Geol. 

 Surv. Canada, 1889). Some new species of marine invertebrates 

 were also obtained by Dr. Dawson at Rink Rapids, viz, Discina 

 pileolus (afterwards changed to D. Dawsoni), Cyprina Tulconensis, 

 Schlcenbachia borealis, and Estheria helhda (Contributions to Canadian 

 Palaeontology). Finally, in 1888, Mr. R. G. McConnell discovered 

 rocks holding Scaphites, resembling one of the Benton species, on 

 the Porcupine River, fourteen miles below the mouth of the Bell 

 River, and further down the Porcupine he found sandstones full of 

 one of the varieties of Aucella Mosquensis. 



No less than 108 species of fossil plants have been recorded or 

 described, up to the present time, from the Canadian Cretaceous, 

 exclusive of the Laramie, or 179 species including the Laramie; 

 and 358 species of animal remains from the undoubted Cretaceous 

 rocks of the Dominion are now known, or 394 if the Laramie 

 be included. Mr. Whiteaves concludes his Address by saying that 

 " a comparatively small portion of the Cretaceous rocks of Canada 

 has been examined in any detail, and more or less isolated areas of 

 these rocks are known to exist in parts of the Canadian North-West, 

 about which scai'cely any other information has been obtained. 

 Still, the facts, as summarized in this Address, are sufficient to 

 show that substantial additions to our knowledge of the geographical 

 distribution, of the economic products, and of the fossil flora and 

 fauna of the Cretaceous rocks of Canada, have been made within 

 the quarter of a century that has elapsed since the confederation 

 of the Pi'ovinces." 



2. In the second paper before us an account is given of the dis- 

 covery of two very large Unio-like shells, for which the author proposes 

 the new generic name Asthenodonta (aff0evrj9, weak, in the sense of 

 feebly developed; and oSov9, a tooth). In passing in review the 

 literature of the subject of the ancient representatives of Unio, 

 Margnritana and Anodonta, it is remarked that fresh-water shells 

 belonging to these genera have not yet been satisfactorily recognized 

 in rocks older than the Trias. In justification of the rejection of 



