﻿Vol. 
  53.] 
  ROCKS 
  AND 
  FOSSILS 
  FROM 
  FRANZ 
  JOSEF 
  LAND. 
  507 
  

  

  summit 
  of 
  this 
  headland, 
  which 
  reaches 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  700 
  feet, 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  level 
  plateau 
  free 
  from 
  snow, 
  and 
  from 
  here 
  we 
  have 
  

   received 
  some 
  silicified 
  wood 
  which 
  is 
  stated 
  to 
  be 
  part 
  of 
  a 
  large 
  

   block 
  found 
  protruding 
  from 
  the 
  soil. 
  With 
  this 
  wood 
  were 
  some 
  

   black 
  flinty 
  specimens 
  containing 
  plant-remains, 
  and 
  likewise 
  frag- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  what 
  looks 
  like 
  siliceous 
  sinter. 
  The 
  upper 
  250 
  feet 
  of 
  

   Cape 
  ISTeale 
  is 
  formed 
  by 
  basalt, 
  and 
  it 
  was 
  on 
  this 
  that 
  the 
  fossil 
  

   wood 
  was 
  found. 
  

  

  10. 
  Hooker 
  Island. 
  

  

  Hooker 
  Island, 
  which 
  lies 
  about 
  20 
  miles 
  north-east 
  of 
  JNorth- 
  

   brook, 
  has 
  been 
  visited 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Jackson 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  his 
  party, 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  higher 
  raised 
  beach, 
  as 
  Mr. 
  Fisher 
  tells 
  us, 
  several 
  

   small 
  flints 
  and 
  cherty 
  specimens 
  were 
  obtained 
  from 
  the 
  ' 
  soil,' 
  

   which 
  soil 
  is 
  formed 
  of 
  disintegrated 
  basalt. 
  The 
  flints 
  and 
  cherty 
  

   specimens 
  all 
  seem 
  to 
  contain 
  traces 
  of 
  vegetable 
  tissue, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  

   very 
  indistinct. 
  

  

  11. 
  Cape 
  Richthofen. 
  

  

  During 
  Mr. 
  Jackson's 
  journey 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  speci- 
  

   mens 
  were 
  collected 
  and 
  labelled 
  80° 
  51' 
  N. 
  and 
  53° 
  40' 
  E., 
  which, 
  

   according 
  to 
  the 
  map, 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  at 
  or 
  near 
  Cape 
  Eichthofen 
  

   The 
  specimens 
  were 
  found 
  on 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  lateral 
  moraine 
  which 
  is 
  

   said 
  to 
  be 
  300 
  feet 
  high 
  and 
  500 
  yards 
  wide, 
  but 
  the 
  height 
  above 
  

   the 
  sea 
  is 
  not 
  stated. 
  The 
  specimens 
  are 
  fragments 
  of 
  basalt, 
  rotten 
  

   vesicular 
  basalt, 
  brown 
  sandstone, 
  cherty 
  nodules, 
  lignite, 
  friable 
  

   sandy 
  shale 
  with 
  plant-remains, 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  mass 
  of 
  compressed 
  

   vegetable 
  remains. 
  About 
  some 
  of 
  these 
  a 
  few 
  words 
  may 
  be 
  said, 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  unfortunate 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  not 
  in 
  situ. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  nodules 
  (jN 
  t 
  o. 
  345) 
  is 
  a 
  grey- 
  and- 
  white 
  cherty 
  flint, 
  

   which 
  under 
  the 
  microscope 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  be 
  chalcedonic 
  and 
  contains 
  

   some 
  indistinct 
  foraminifera 
  which 
  remind 
  one 
  of 
  Rotalia, 
  but 
  they 
  

   are 
  not 
  sufficient 
  for 
  determination 
  and 
  give 
  no 
  clue 
  as 
  to 
  age. 
  The 
  

   latter 
  remark 
  may 
  be 
  also 
  applied 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  sponge-spicules 
  seen 
  

   in 
  a 
  second 
  cherty 
  nodule, 
  which 
  look 
  like 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ' 
  glass-rope 
  ' 
  

   sponges. 
  

  

  Two 
  of 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  lignite 
  are 
  really 
  pieces 
  of 
  tree-stems 
  or 
  

   branches 
  retaining 
  the 
  outward 
  form, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  so 
  much 
  altered 
  

   and 
  in 
  so 
  friable 
  a 
  condition 
  that 
  their 
  microscopic 
  structure 
  has 
  

   largely 
  been 
  obliterated. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  quite 
  certain 
  what 
  the 
  wood 
  

   is, 
  but 
  an 
  appearance 
  which 
  may 
  represent 
  spiral 
  fibres 
  and 
  single 
  

   rows 
  of 
  discs 
  points 
  to 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  its 
  being 
  allied 
  to 
  the 
  yew- 
  

   tree. 
  

  

  Some 
  of 
  the 
  lignite 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  composed 
  of 
  fragmentary 
  vegetable 
  

   matter, 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  unlike 
  that 
  from 
  near 
  Cape 
  Stephen, 
  which 
  

   contains 
  the 
  macro- 
  and 
  microspores. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  several 
  pieces 
  of 
  a 
  sandy 
  shale 
  which 
  is 
  exceedingly 
  

   friable 
  and 
  almost 
  black 
  with 
  carbonized 
  vegetable 
  remains 
  ; 
  but 
  

   these 
  are 
  so 
  altered 
  that 
  at 
  present 
  nothing 
  distinct 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  

   out, 
  and 
  the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  is 
  uncertain. 
  

  

  The 
  compressed 
  mass 
  of 
  plant-remains 
  is 
  very 
  recent-looking; 
  

  

  