Cretaceous in the Northwest. 3 



sub-floras, — an older, closely allied to that of the Belly- 

 River series below; and a newer, identical with that of 

 Souris River, described as Lignite Tertiary in Dr. G. M. 

 Dawson's Report on the 49th Parallel, 18*75, and which 

 appears to agree with that known in the United States as 

 the Fort Union group, and in part at least with the so- 

 called Miocene of Heer from Greenland. 



From the animal fossils and the character of the plants, it 

 would seem probable that the rich flora of the Cretaceous 

 coal fields'of Vancouver Island is nearly synchronous with 

 that of the coal-bearing Belly River series of the western 

 plains. 



It will thus be seen that the explorations already made 

 in Canadian territory have revealed a t> ery complete series 

 of Cretaceous plants, admitting, no doubt, of large addi- 

 tions to the number of species by future discoveries, and 

 also of the establishment of connecting links between the 

 different members ; but giving a satisfactory basis for the 

 knowledge of the succession of plants, and for the deter- 

 mination of the ages of formations by their vegetable 

 fossils. 



In connection with the subjoined table it should be 

 understood that Tertiary floras, probably Miocene in age, 

 are known in the interior of British Columbia, though they 

 have not yet been recognized in the territories east of the 

 Rocky Mountains. 



Before leaving this part of the subject, I would deprecate 

 the remark which I see occasionally made, that fossil plants 

 are of little value in determining geological horizons in the 

 Cretaceous and Tertiary. I admit that in these periods 

 some allowance must be made for local differences of station, 

 and also that there is a generic sameness in the flora of the 

 Northern Hemisphere, from the Cenomanian to the modern ; 

 yet these local differences and general similarity are not of 

 a nature to invalidate inferences as to age. No doubt so 

 long as paheobotanists seemed obliged, in deference to 

 anthority, and to the results of investigations limited to a 

 few European localities, to group together, without distinc- 

 tion, all the floras of the later Cretaceous and earlier Ter- 



