192 THE AMERICAN NATURALIST 'Vot. XL 
List of the Coniferous Remains 
1. Cone scales, allied to Dammara and similar to very small speci- 
mens of D. microlepis Heer. These are described in this paper on p. 199 
under the new generic name Protodammara. 
2. Cone scales and leaves of Pinus sp. The scales are relatively 
small. Several of the leaf specimens showed three in a bundle, enclosed 
in a sheath. 
3. Leafy twigs of Sequoia réichenbachi (Gein.) Heer, S. heterophylla 
Vel., Juniperus hypnoides Heer, Widdringtonites reichii (Etts.) Heer, 
Frenelopsis gracilis Newb., and Brachyphyllum macrocarpum Newb. 
4 ignite and other fragmentary coniferous remains which could 
not be generically determined from their external characters. 
Amber, occasionally in the interstices of the lignites, but for the 
most part in the form of small drops or “tears” and irregular fragments. 
MetuHops Emp.ioyep in THE CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE 
MATERIAL 
_ Maceration and Separation of the Gross Material.—In the 
examination of the finer vegetable débris previously described 
the following method was employed. Caustic soda or potash 
in 1 to 3% solution was used with considerable success. After 
this treatment the fragments of plants were somewhat swollen 
_and separated readily from one another and from the argillaceous 
matrix. The loosened clay was washed away on a wire gauze 
tray of not too fine meshwork and the lignitic or carbonaceous 
fragments were left in a clean and recognizable condition. The 
fragments in most cases were rather small, especially those of 
greatest interest, so that the most convenient method of recogni- 
tion was by means of a dissecting microscope of very low magni- 
fication. A great many different kinds of coniferous remains 
were thus separated out and identified from their external appear- 
ance, as well as many charred specimens of dicotyledonous woods. 
Of these in general no account will be given at the present time, 
for attention was restricted to the cone scales similar to those 
_ referred by Heer to the genus Dammara, leafy branches belonging 
to the Brongniartian genus Brachyphyllum, and certain Ar- 
aucarineous lignites. The chosen material was often in a very 
