722 PERMIAN AXD TRIASSIC INSKCTS FROM N.S W., 



T should like here to express my grateful thanks to Mr. 

 Mitchell for his kindness in allowing me to study these valuable 

 fossils. As I hope to show in this paper, the conclusions to be 

 drawn from even this small collection, particularly with regard 

 to the Permian fossils, are far-reaching, and of great importance 

 in the study of the Phylogeny of the Insecta. I desire also to 

 thank him for supplying me with interesting data as to the age 

 and position of th§ fossils. The details given in tliis paper, as 

 to the exact horizons of the various Insect-bearing Beds, are 

 compiled from very complete and detailed information contained 

 in a series of letters sent to me by Mr. Mitchell on this subject. 

 As regards the age of the Upper Coal-Measures and of the 

 VVianamatta Shale beds, I have to thank both Mr. Mitchell and 

 Mr. A. B. Walkom, B.Sc, Assistant Lecturer in Geology in the 

 University of Queensland, for their valuable help in deciding 

 these questions for the purposes of this paper. 



The geological evidence has been given at some length, because 

 the character of the Permian fossils here described is such that 

 the age assigned to them might well be questioned by geologists 

 in the Northern Hemisphere, if the evidence admitted of any 

 doubt on the matter. I believe I am right in stating that no 

 remains of undoubted Holometaholous Insects are, so Jar, knoivn 

 from auy Palceozoic strata. As the Mecoptera appear to have 

 been well represented in the Newcastle Coal-Measures, by forms 

 differing little from those still living in xiustralia, the import- 

 ance of this discover}^ will be at once recognised. Further, as 

 the subdivision of the extensive Order Hemiptera into its two 

 Suborders, Heteroptera and Homoptera, is generally supposed 

 not to have taken place before Triassic times, the occurrence of 

 an almost perfect tegmen of a definite Cercopid type in these 

 Coal-Measures is of very great interest. 



The fossils from the VVianamatta Shale are mostly similar to 

 forms already described from the St Peter's beds, near Sydney. 

 The single specimen from the later horizon at Narellan belonged 

 to a genus so far confined to Ipswich, where it is abundant. 

 Thus there is a basis for the suggestion tiiat further work at this 

 particular horizon of the Wianamatta Shale beds might result 



