36 . BOTANICAL GAZETTE [JULY 
water. The less resistant plant organs are consequently reduced 
to a structureless mass, together with a partial decay of the more 
resistant elements, thus presenting samples of a rusty brown 
plastic property, in which, however, portions of decayed wood, 
cuticular parts, and stigmarioid roots can still be seen. 
Although these two types of woody and herbaceous peat appear 
to be distinct, they have been classed under the same head, owing to 
a similarity in origin, and the apparent difference is due only to the 
nature of the included plants and the amount of comminution 
that has taken place. 
In contrast to this formation there is the lake or allocthonous 
peat, which occurs as a layer of finely divided plant material as 
well as entirely microscopic organisms on the floors of permanent 
and deep bodies of fresh water. This type owes its existence to 
the action of winds, currents, and sedimentation. Although the 
deep lake formed deposits bear a strong superficial resemblance 
to the much decayed woody peat, with the exception of a habitual 
absence of a granular content, they are in fact very dissimilar, 
since the deep brown, plastic character of uniformly fine texture 
does not represent the product of comminution of grosser parts 
of plants, resulting from oxidation and destruction by fungi, but 
rather the accumulation of originally minute organic material 
which has not suffered decay, owing to a permanent saturation. 
Like in situ peat, lake formations may vary much in color. 
Those samples which are mostly organic in composition present a 
deep brown, uniformly fine appearance. Those, on the contrary, 
in which there is a large inorganic content may be red, pink, or 
gray. ‘These latter colors are due to a more or less abundant silt, 
shells of infusoria, etc., which produce an admixture with the 
sedimentary, drift, and wind-blown material, imparting to it, where 
predominant, their characteristic hue. 
As the writer has previously stated, the aim of this paper is to 
supply a brief. account of the regions which were visited and a 
short description of the samples of peat collected in so far as they 
bear a significant relation to the methods of peat deposition in a 
semitropical climate. Reference to later microscopic investigations 
of the material will be made only where such seems necessary in 
