Microscopic examination of Alberta coals shows that they are composed principally of materials derived from the woody parts of plants. Many woody structures are visible in thin sections and on polished and etched surfaces. Spores are present in the coals, but are relatively few in number. The resin content varies considerably, attaining a high proportion in the cannel coals of the Crowsnest Pass region in British Columbia, bordering the southwestern part of Alberta. The correlation of seams in the Alberta coal deposits on the basis of their microscopical characters has not yet proved to be feasible. A wide field is open here for palaeobotanical research on the nature and classification of the plant structures visible in these coals by means of the microscope. The investigation described here may be considered as being relatively only a beginning to further work that should be done in the study of the microscopical features of Alberta coals by the geologist, chemist and botanist.