28 Annals of the South African Museum 



evidence for age furnished by the occurrence of B. africanus in the 

 Uitenhage beds was no longer to be recognised." Neumayr's 

 argument for the Lower Cretaceous age of this fauna appears indeed 

 to be overwhelmingly strong, particularly in the evidence of the 

 Cephalopoda, all of which he found to possess near allies in European 

 Neocomian forms. Regarding the two species of Holcosteplianus , 

 Neumayr pointed out that their resemblance to the Jurassic types 

 with which they had previously been brought into comparison was 

 only of a superficial character, depending alone on a certain outward 

 similarity of habit. 



Pavlow f has since confirmed this view, after studying South 

 African specimens, and has placed Holcosteplianus atherstoni and 

 H. baini in his generic or sub-generic division Astieria, which 

 comprises numerous Neocomian types ; he even goes so far as to 

 identify Holcosteplianus atherstoni with H. psilostomus Neum. and 

 Uhlig, { from the Hilsthon of North Germany, and to the same form 

 he ascribes a shell from the Neocomian of Speeton. 



In view of the fact that the plant remains found in the Uitenhage 

 beds had previously been thought to point rather to an Oolitic than 

 a Cretaceous age, and having regard to the division of opinion con- 

 cerning the affinities of the invertebrate fauna, Messrs. Rogers and 

 Schwarz, in 1901, were led to adopt the provisional conclusion that 

 the Uitenhage Series may be assigned to the Upper Jurassic. In 

 stating this, they mention that the fauna and. flora have been con- 

 sidered to resemble in some degree those of the Jurassic series in 

 Cutch. It is well known that the resemblance between certain 

 lamellibranchs of the Uitenhage beds and those of the Oomia Group 

 in Cutch has been frequently remarked upon, but it can no longer 

 be maintained that the marine Oomia strata are in reality of Jurassic 

 age, at least so far as concerns the Triyonia-beds ; but this is a 

 point to which we may presently return, and one which we may 

 consider in greater detail. 



In more recent works Mr. Rogers || gives us a comprehensive 

 account of the Uitenhage Series, and now considers these beds to 

 represent a portion of the Cretaceous system. The same view 

 is adopted by Drs. Hatch and Corstorphine in their " Geology of 

 South Africa" (1905). With reference to the flora, Prof. A. C. 



* See also Neumayr (5). 



t Pavlow and Lamplugh (1), pp. 492-497 (134-139 in authors' copy). 



I Neumayr and Uhlig (1), p. 149, pi. xxxii., fig. 2. 



Eogers and Schwarz (1), p. 17. 



|| Eogers (1), pp. 281-318; Kogers (2), pp. 15-33, 45. 



