﻿^°1' 
  53'~] 
  ROCKS 
  AND 
  FOSSILS 
  JROM 
  FRAKZ 
  JOSEF 
  LAND. 
  505 
  

  

  List 
  of 
  Fossils 
  from 
  Cape 
  Stephen. 
  

  

  PhyMotheca 
  cf. 
  columnaris, 
  Phil. 
  

   Rhiptozamitesl 
  cf. 
  Gcepperti. 
  

   Anomozamifes 
  ? 
  

   Zamiopteris 
  cf. 
  glossopteroides. 
  

   Asplenium 
  cf. 
  whitbiense. 
  

   Bituminous 
  shale. 
  

  

  The 
  striking 
  resemblance 
  between 
  this 
  series 
  of 
  plant-remains 
  

   from 
  near 
  Cape 
  Stephen, 
  and 
  those 
  described 
  and 
  figured 
  by 
  Prof. 
  

   Schmalhausen 
  from 
  Lower 
  Tunguska, 
  can 
  only 
  lead 
  to 
  the 
  inference 
  

   that 
  the} 
  7 
  are 
  approximately 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age. 
  This 
  Tunguska 
  flora 
  

   was 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  Palaeozoic, 
  but 
  Prof. 
  Schmalhausen 
  

   afterwards 
  regarded 
  it 
  as 
  of 
  Oolitic 
  age, 
  and 
  even 
  referred 
  it 
  to 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Oolite. 
  1 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  stratigraphical 
  evidence 
  available 
  which 
  might 
  indicate 
  

   the 
  position 
  of 
  these 
  plant-beds 
  at 
  Cape 
  Stephen, 
  and 
  the 
  distance 
  

   between 
  them 
  and 
  Cape 
  Flora 
  prevents 
  any 
  correlation 
  with 
  the 
  

   strata 
  there 
  exposed, 
  as 
  we 
  know 
  nothing 
  of 
  the 
  possibilities 
  of 
  

   change 
  of 
  dip 
  or 
  faulting 
  which 
  may 
  occur 
  in 
  the 
  20 
  miles 
  which 
  

   intervene. 
  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  remembered 
  that 
  the 
  

   probable 
  north-easterly 
  dip 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  in 
  Franz 
  Josef 
  Land 
  would, 
  

   if 
  correct, 
  bring 
  these 
  beds 
  some 
  little 
  distance 
  below 
  horizon 
  No. 
  5 
  

   at 
  Cape 
  Flora, 
  where 
  indeed 
  beds 
  of 
  Lower 
  Oolite 
  age 
  might 
  be 
  

   expected 
  to 
  occur. 
  

  

  Bituminous 
  paper-shales 
  occur 
  in 
  close 
  relation 
  with 
  these 
  

   sandstone 
  plant-beds, 
  at 
  the 
  locality 
  between 
  Cape 
  Stephen 
  and 
  

   Cape 
  Grant 
  sometimes 
  called 
  ' 
  Tween 
  Rocks,' 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  known 
  

   whether 
  they 
  are 
  merely 
  in 
  restricted 
  patches 
  or 
  occur 
  as 
  regular 
  

   beds. 
  This 
  shale 
  contains 
  a 
  large 
  amount 
  of 
  combustible 
  matter, 
  

   and 
  burns 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  flame. 
  

  

  Near 
  the 
  spot 
  at 
  Tween 
  liocks 
  where 
  the 
  plant-bed 
  was 
  found, 
  

   a 
  bed 
  of 
  coaly 
  lignite 
  was 
  discovered 
  at 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  about 
  100 
  feet 
  2 
  

   above 
  the 
  sea 
  ; 
  this, 
  Jlr. 
  Fisher 
  tells 
  us, 
  was 
  undoubtedly 
  in 
  situ. 
  

   A 
  stream 
  of 
  water 
  had 
  cut 
  a 
  channel 
  for 
  itself 
  in 
  the 
  almost 
  perpen- 
  

   dicular 
  cliff 
  and 
  had 
  exposed 
  this 
  stratum, 
  a 
  good-sized 
  block 
  of 
  which 
  

   has 
  been 
  sent 
  home, 
  but 
  is 
  now 
  split 
  into 
  many 
  pieces, 
  a 
  consequence, 
  

   probably, 
  of 
  its 
  having 
  been 
  frozen. 
  This 
  coal 
  burns 
  with 
  a 
  good 
  flame, 
  

   and 
  was 
  recognized 
  by 
  the 
  discoverers 
  as 
  a 
  possible 
  supply 
  of 
  fuel 
  ; 
  

   it 
  is 
  not 
  merely 
  a 
  lignitized 
  tree-stem, 
  but 
  is 
  composed 
  of 
  crushed 
  

   and 
  compacted 
  vegetable 
  matter. 
  One 
  point 
  of 
  interest 
  about 
  this 
  

   coal 
  is 
  that 
  in 
  parts 
  macrospores 
  can 
  be 
  seen 
  with 
  a 
  lens, 
  reminding 
  

  

  1 
  [Mr. 
  Seward, 
  in 
  the 
  .August 
  number 
  of 
  this 
  Journal 
  (vol. 
  liii. 
  1897, 
  p. 
  325), 
  

   says 
  that 
  the 
  rocks 
  described 
  by 
  Schrnalhausen 
  are 
  probably 
  of 
  Permian 
  age 
  

   (see 
  Zeiller, 
  Bull. 
  Sue. 
  geol. 
  France, 
  ser. 
  3, 
  vol. 
  xxiv. 
  1896, 
  p. 
  4(36). 
  If 
  this 
  be 
  so, 
  

   then 
  the 
  series 
  of 
  plant-remains 
  from 
  Cape 
  Stephen, 
  which 
  are 
  so 
  similar 
  to 
  

   those 
  from 
  the 
  Tunguska 
  deposits, 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  age. 
  But 
  

   an 
  Oolitic 
  facies 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  Permo-Carboniferous 
  plants 
  is 
  so 
  remarkable 
  

   that, 
  in 
  the 
  absence 
  of 
  some 
  characteristic 
  form, 
  such 
  as 
  the 
  Sigillaria 
  described 
  

   by 
  Mr. 
  Seward 
  from 
  the 
  South 
  African 
  beds, 
  it 
  would 
  hardly 
  be 
  safe 
  to 
  regard 
  

   these 
  Cape 
  Stephen 
  plant-beds 
  as 
  of 
  Permian 
  age.] 
  

  

  2 
  Dr. 
  Kcettlitz 
  says 
  that 
  this 
  bed 
  is 
  300 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  sea. 
  

  

  