194 The Wonders of the Permian 



of the Tree Fern and Oycad forest. The enorm- 

 ous fronds of fern leaflets that crowned the mark- 

 ed trunks around us, put me in mind of the Aus- 

 tralian Tree Ferns in the Carnegie Conserva- 

 tories at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Only they 

 were much larger and the massive fern branches 

 formed larger crowns. There was such a wealth 

 of variety here too that delighted me. All were 

 lost in wonder at the strange scenery and life, 

 both in its flora and fauna. We determined to 

 cut our way in a southerly direction as I felt 

 sure I scented the distant sea. Charlie and my- 

 self using our picks, cut a wide swath of ferns 

 and cycads and other carboniferous trees. Our 

 women folks hauling them out of the way. We 

 were constantly coming across the strange rep- 

 tilian and amphibian life of that far away day, 

 and our exclamations of surprise at the beauty 

 of this ancient forest came involuntarily from 

 our lips. The moss too, in many gorgeous colors, 

 and hues carpeted the damp ground beneath our 

 feet, or hung in tapestry-like folds from the 

 branches overhead. Many hands made rapid 

 progress and though the heat was excessive we 

 all perspired freely. We often came across the 

 bogs of great extent, ponds and lakes bordered 

 with peat moss, and saw countless reptiles on 

 shore or amphibians in the water. With 

 the earnest hope that we might reach 

 salt water, we labored on under the glar- 

 ing sun above, that penetrated the thick 



