138 DH. w. E. m'nab on aectic drift woods. 



Sept. 1875. Found by Commander Markham." It is not impro- 

 bable that this may be the bark of the commonest drift wood, and 

 may therefore help to identify the genus of the six specimens of 

 wood just described. 



4. Taxus sp. (One species.) 



A single sample of very much waterworn pieces of drift wood, 

 which have probably been embedded in mud, is referable to the 

 genus Taxus, having the spiral markings clearly shown in the 

 wood prosenchymatous cells. It is marked M, "Out of cloth 

 bag ; no locality." The annual rings are extremely imperfect and 

 very numerous. 



6. PoPDLTJs sp. (One species.) 



Two pieces of drift wood are to be referred to Fopulus (near 

 tremuld), and are interesting as being the only species of dicotyle- 

 donous wood in the collection. One of the specimens (N) is 

 marked " Drift wood. Musk-ox Bay. Sept. 1875;" and the other 

 (0), " East Gary Island. Capt. Feilden." The former is a por- 

 tion of a large stem, and is in an excellent state of preservation, 

 while the latter is equally well preserved, but is only a part of a 

 small branch. In both of the woods the annual rings are well 

 developed. 



Of the 14 specimens submitted to me for examination, 13 are 

 samples of wood, and 1 is of bark alone without any trace of wood, 

 the bark being evidently coniferous and to be referred to the genus 

 Picea. Of the 13 woods, 11 are coniferous, and only 2 dicotyledo- 

 nous, both belonging to the same genus, Populus, and to the same 

 species. 



The 11 coniferous woods belong to four, or perhaps five, genera, 

 there being 1 species oiFinus, loiAbies,loiZaria;?,2o{Pmus 

 or Larix, and 1 of Taxus. Of Pinus there are 2 specimens, of 

 Abies 1, Larix or Picea 7, and Taxus 1 — the commonest form being 

 some kind of Picea, probably an American Spruce. 



I have not been able to identify the species, but, from careful 

 comparison of specimens, am inclined to think that most of them 

 are North- American ; and as the annual rings are usually very well 

 developed, the trees must have grown in the more northern tempe- 

 rate latitudes. 



