36 
EDWARD S. SIMPSON, B.E., F.C.S. : 
from admixture possibly with still unaltered resin. In 
dications of the presence of some such substance were given 
by the stickiness of the powder in grinding and by the 
combined carbon shown by analysis. 
Zeiller says* : — 
" The study of the woods of Conifers has shown that the genera' 
features of their structure only permit of our distinguishing a certain 
number of large groups, and not of recognising individual genera.” 
He defines Cedroxylon (wood of the Cedar type) in the 
following terms : — 
" Cedroxylon (Kraus). Wood formed, like that of Cedrus and 
Abies, of tracheids with radial faces provided with areolated pittings 
in single rows, and lacking resiniferous elements or at least with 
resiniferous parenchyma almost absent. This type dates back to the 
Permian.” 
The Dandarragan wood is, therefore, provisionally classed 
as Cedroxylon. 
Composition of the Dandarragan Wood. 
Dufrenite is a common mineral at Dandarragan in 
the more ferruginous beds. Owing to its bright green 
colour it was the first mineral in the district to attract 
attention. It appears to have been formed in situ by the 
action upon limonite of carbonated waters carrying lime 
phosphate dissolved out of the adjacent coprolite beds. 
Three small specimens from these beds which came into 
the writer’s possession appeared to contain fragments of 
fossil wood completely converted into dufrenite, and em- 
bedded in compact ironstone. One of these fragments, 
measuring 40 x 30 x 20 mm., and exhibiting to the unaided 
eye the vertical fibres and medullary rays, was sectioned. 
Under the microscope the cross section shows a structure 
precisely similar to that of the apatised wood already 
described. In certain areas this structure was well defined, 
but in others was entirely obscured by the strongly develop- 
ed cyrstalline structure of the dufrenite. Certain cracks 
were filled with moderately large (0.2 mm.) crystals of this 
mineral. 
Typical examples of the apatised and dufrenised wood 
were analysed with the following results : — 
Silica, SiO 2 
Apatised 
Wood. 
1.26 
Duflreinsed 
Wood. 
.48 
Carbon dioxide, CO = 
I - 3 I 
.24 
Phosphoric oxide, P^ Os 
. . 38.80 
31.26 
Water combined, H= 0 + 
.80 
14.07 
Lime, CaO 
.. 53.88 
.64 
