president's address. 605 



Either probably the Gympie Ocean, which covered New 

 England previous to the great uplift of the granite masses, barred 

 its migration into Queensland northwards, or it was a hardy 

 form which flourished better in the cooler climate of New South 

 Wales and Victoria than in the more tropical climate of Queens- 

 land ; but the assumption that there was much difference of 

 climate between these countries at so remote a period seems 

 hardly warranted by this slender evidence. 



The Star Series contains thick interbedded dolerites and 

 porphyrites, the latter containing masses of metallic copper. 



The abundance of Rhynchonella iilei^rodon in some of the Star 

 beds suggests that they may be homotaxial with the Rhynchonella 

 2^leurodon sandstones of the Clyde Mountain, near Braidwood in 

 New South Wales. 



The Star beds are rich in remains of Pala3oniscid fish, and con- 

 tain thin foraminiferal limestones. The Star beds of Queens- 

 land are probably represented in New South Wales by the 

 Lejndodeiidron beds of Barraba and Goonoo Goonoo. The Stroud 

 beds of New South Wales, estimated by Mr. J. Mackenzie, F.G.S., 

 Government Examiner of Coalfields, to be 10,000tt. thick, are 

 probably higher than the Star Series, and are perhaps homotaxial 

 with the Lower Bowen. They represent perhaps the latest 

 deposits of the Carboniferous Period in New South Wales. Their 

 upper portion is largely composed of volcanic ash and contem- 

 poraneous lavas. Evidence shows that in this locality Rhacoj^teris 

 considerably outlived Lepidodendron. These rocks have been 

 folded strongly in Post-Permo-Carboniferous time, but this folding 

 is only local. It is nearly meridional, inclining fdightly to west 

 of north. 



There is no proof as yet that Lepidodendron ever entered 

 Tasmania. 



In West Australia the massive carboniferous limestone described 

 by Mr. E. T. Hardman and Mr. H. P. Woodward, F.G.S., is 

 1000 to 1300 feet thick, a pink to grey dolomite and ordinary 

 limestone, containing Productus cora, P. semireticiclatics, Rhyn- 

 chonella pleurodon, &c. These limestones are capped by about 



