Specimens of Fossil Wood. 245 



Charles B. Beecher of the Yale University Museum, and 

 placed in my hands by Sir Wm. Dawson, to whom the speci- 

 mens were sent in the first instance by Prof. J. M. Clarke of 

 Albany, and by Mr. Beecher, embrace a portion of a stem 

 and several mounted sections. To these there were subse- 

 quently added other transverse and longitudinal sections. 

 The derivation of the specimen from the formation referred 

 to is vouched for by Mr. Charles E. Beecher, who collect- 

 ed it. (Plate I, fig. 4.) 



The principal specimen, apparently a fragment of a stem, 

 has an elliptical transverse section measuring 2.3x3.8 cm. 

 No cortical structure is represented, although it is evident 

 that certain parts corresponding to a cortex were at one 

 time present. The surface shows numerous closely aggre- 

 gated bundles traversing the stem longitudinally. With 

 a hand lens of very moderate power each of these bundles 

 presents a distinctly fibrous structure. In the transverse 

 section these bundles are found to be so arranged as to con- 

 stitute a narrow marginal zone. They are separated by 

 parenchyma tissue, which forms radial bands usually much 

 less in width than the bundles lying on either side. 



Internal to this is a somewhat broad zone of parenchyma 

 tissue, followed by an inner vascular zone. In this lat- 

 ter the bundles are somewhat widely separated by paren- 

 chyma tissue. They are all small, usually measuring 1.5 

 mm. in diameter. In transverse section they are round, 

 elliptical, triangular or even crescent shaped, this latter 

 being, in one specimen, somewhat uncommon and ap- 

 parently resulting from the partial fusion of two bundles. 

 It is also to be observed that all the bundles do not lie 

 strictly within a zone of uniform width, as occasionally a 

 bundle will be found isolated and situated more towards the 

 centre of the stem. This is apparently a normal situation, 

 as no evidence of displacement appears. Central of this 

 inner vascular zone is a large pith composed of large and 

 thick walled cells, in all respects the same as the more ex- 

 ternal parenchyma tissue. 



The entire parenchyma structure of the stem is remark- 



