(54) 
unrepresented in New Jersey. Hollick would consider it the 
equivalent of the New Jersey Raritan, its distinctive char- 
acters being due to morainal action, with which view I entirely 
concur. 
From the evidence of the flora alone we would consider 
the Matawan slightly more recent than the Raritan; a direct 
continuation of the latter, however, with several species added 
which are unknown from the Raritan. Thus, aside from the 
dissimilar species due to our imperfect knowledge of the flora 
of the two formations it remains to be pointed out that the 
occurrence of elumbo argues a somewhat later age for the 
Matawan, as this genus is not found below the Belly River 
Cretaceous on this continent.* Time must also have elapsed 
for the development or introduction of the various species of 
Sterculia which are found here as well as for the changed 
species of Avalia. The scarcity (absence) of ferns, the ab- 
sence of Brachyphyllum which is essentially a Lower Cre- 
taceous genus, and the much larger leaved Moriconza all 
point to a somewhat later time than the Raritan. 
The Matawan, then, represents the transition period from 
the Lower to the Upper Cretaceous, when marine conditions 
replaced fresh-water estuarine conditions; and the flora is 
undoubtedly the latest Cretaceous flora of the Atlantic coastal 
plain which has been preserved. Professor Ward suggests 
that this ancient coastal plain may have extended to Green- 
land, but no evidence other than the remarkable similarity of 
the floras is known. 
Just a word in regard to the remains. In common with the 
vast majority of New Jersey Clay specimens, the Matawan 
plants were hermetically sealed in the clay and slowly car- 
bonized, so that when reéxposed to the air, the thick sheet 
of lignite dries, becoming cracked, and is soon dissipated, 
leaving only a faint impression behind. This has for years 
proved an obstacle to the proper investigation of these floras 
and it is only with the discovery of leaf-layers carrying con- 
* Dr, Hollick has found Ne/uméo on Martha’s Vineyard and Long Island, 
the latter locality as yet unpublished, which vitiates the above statement. 
