4 inSS AT. Z. J. CHJLVDLEE OX THE [voL Ixivii, 



2. The Aectic Floea of the Caj^l Yaxley at Baevatexl. Cam- 

 BBXD&E. By Miss ^JAJaJOBXE EXLZABETH Jave Cha>T)xee, 

 Harkness Scholar, Xewnham College, Cambridge. (Com- 

 municated br P::f. J. E. Mabe, Sc.D.. F.E.S.. FXi.S. 

 Eead Xovember 3r;l. 192'J.; 



A SECTION in Pleistocr-.r ^.-avels at Barnwell, Cambridge, was 

 described bv Prof. MaiT eV !\Iiss E. W. Gardner in 1916.1 They 

 ib^w attention to tbe oceuiTence there of peat-seams yielding 

 definite plant-remains, which were submitted to the late Clement 

 Keid for identification. His preliminary report, showing the 

 Arcric nature of the flora, was incorporated by Prof. Marr in a 

 paper read before the Geological Society - ; but, unfortunately, 

 death prevented Mr. Reid from undertaking the full examination 

 of the beds which he had. no doubt, intended to make. 



I lately had the opportunity of inTestigating the Barnwell pit, 

 and the examination of fresh material revealed the existence of a 

 far larger fossil flora than was suspected originally. The records 

 of such Arctic floras in low latitudes are few, and in the present 

 instance a number of plants identified had not been recognized 

 previously in the fossil state. It was thought desu-ablcj therefore, 

 that the results of this fuller study should be placed on record, in 

 order that thev might be available to other workers in the same 

 field. 



Owing to the great kindness of Mrs. E. M. Eeid, I was able to 

 use the unique collection of recent seeds made by Mr. Beid in his 

 lifetime, and that collection (referred to as the Beid Collection 

 throughout this paper) was the standard for all my systematic 

 work. 



As the stratigraphical details were dealt with in 1916,^ no full 

 iiecount of the beds is given here, but the accompanying section, 

 <lrawn to scale, should serve to make clear the respective positions 

 of the di^erent seams examined (fig. 1, pp. 6—7). 



These seams were composed of broken and matted fragments of 

 sterns, of leaves and of bark, together with fruits and seeds. 

 In some the peat was coarse, consisting largely of thick twigs 

 of willow and birch, as in Seam X. In others the vegetable 

 remains were finer, and leaves, which were often much worn, pre- 

 dominated, as in the lowest seam or in the middle seam 

 above the Tramway. Yet others, for example the four 



1 GeoL Mag. 1916. p. 339. 



2 Q. J. G. S. ToL LsxT (1919-20) p. 204. 



