1«1 



Exposure after such a long entombment soon reduces these 

 lignite masses to fragments. A satisfactory way to study their 

 flora, however, is to bring away large pieces of the lignite and 

 macerate thcni in water at leisure moments, when they may be 

 easily separated into their component parts and any remains of 

 definite shape can then be more readily seen. 



Distributed through the lignite beds arc little globules and 

 tear-shaped masses of amber ; one hears of large masses being 

 found occasionally, but the largest piece that I have taken out is 



Fig. I. Some of the fruits, seeds, twigs and cone scales washed out of the lignite. 



about the size of a lima bean. This amber is the fossil resin of 

 some of the trees of the period, the weight of the evidence point- 

 ing to the Sequoia, as little leafy twigs of two or three species are 

 found all through the lignite, while cones occur elsewhere in the 

 neighboring clays. 



A clay pit is a most desolate looking place all the year round. 

 Under a scorching July sun, with the thermometer standing at 

 over 1 00° and no shade, one has a perfect imitation of an oven, 

 and the imagination almost fails to picture the verdure of this 

 identical spot in the ancient days. Here flourished tall sequoias 

 and plane-trees, close by grew ancient spruces and cycads and 

 semi-tropical ferns. In the spring, the magnolia and sheep-berry 

 bloomed. In the fall, the figs ripened, and the autumnal tints of 

 the oak and maple vied with the vernal coloration. 



Besides the larger pieces of stems and fragments of leaves as 

 well as an abundance of needles of Sequoia and Ciouiingliamitcs, 



