BY FREDERICK CHAPMAN. 273 



shallow water sands of the coral islets at Funafuti. The orna- 

 mentation of this valve is not very clear, as it appears to have 

 been corroded over the anterior portion of the outer surface. 

 What may be indications of a pitted surface are visible in one or 

 two places. B.foveolata is a characteristic and often common 

 form in the Southern Seas, and it has occurred as far south as 

 Bass Strait. 



V. Summary of Results. 



The foregoing examination of the oldest sedimentary rocks 

 seen and collected by Mr. Mawson in the Island of Santo proves 

 them to be of Miocene age (Aquitanian and Burdigalian). 



A point of particular interest brought out by the present 

 investigations is the association of Lepidocyclina with the 

 excentric forms of Miogypsina in the New Hebrides. According 

 to H. Douville,"^ the .latter make their appearance after the 

 Lepidocydina in the Miocene of the South-west of France; 

 although the regular form, M. burdigcdensis, is contemporaneous 

 with that genus in beds of Aquitanian age (basal beds of Miocene). 

 The next stage in ascending order, the Burdigalian, is in the 

 same area characterized by Miogypshia globulina, M. irregularis 

 and M. complanata. 



In the Miocene rocks of Santo, however, both the excentric 

 and the regular forms occur in the same deposit, namely, the 

 f oraminiferal tufaceous rock underlying the massive Lepidocyclina 

 limestone at Wai Malikoliko. From this we naturally infer that 

 faunas, distinct in the European area, were living together in the 

 New Hebrides Miocene sea. 



A similar association of species occurs here as in the Miocene 

 limestones of Christmas Island, and also of Madoura, and other 

 parts of the Dutch East Indies, with which the New Hebrides 

 marine area was most probably connected when these fossiliferous 

 beach and shallow-water deposits were laid down. 



The occurrence of a new species of Cycloclypeus in the New 

 Hebrides rocks further emphasises the fact that certain genera 



* Bull. Soc. Geol. France, Ser. 4, Vol. ii. 1902, p. 312. 

 18 



