432 THE PEOCEEDINGS OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY 



genera of Paleeozoic Fish — Palcsoniscus, Myrinlejpis, and Cleitliro- 

 lepis'j the Flora, as before, presenting a relatively recent facies. 

 Thus we have of the Equisetacece, Phyllolheca HooJceri ; of the 

 Ferns, Sphennpteris alata, Pecopteris = Thinnfeldia odontopieroides, 

 Odontopteris, Gleiclienia, Tceniopteris Waianamatta ; but no Glos- 

 sopteris. The Conifers are represented by Ecliinostrohus sp. These 

 beds are regarded by Feistmantel (but not by Clarke) as probably 

 Upper Triassic, while he considers the Clarence River Coal-beds 

 to be of a still later (Jurassic) period, corresponding with certain 

 strata in Tasmania, Victoria, and Queensland, and indicated by 

 the presence of jPht/llotheca australis, along with these Ferns, 

 8p)lienop}teris elongata, Thinnfeldia odontopteroides, Cyclopteris cu- 

 neata, T(Bniopteris Paintreei and Sagenopteris Tasmanica. With 

 these are associated three species of Zamites, and other less cer- 

 tain or important forms. Whatever gaps there may be, and 

 there may be very many, in the succession, the System is never- 

 theless braced together by the Lepidodendra found below and 

 above the coal (p. 23), by the persistence of Phyllotheca aushalis 

 upwards from the Lower Coal to the Clarence beds, by Sphenop- 

 teris alata and Thinnfeldia odontopteroides found both in the New- 

 castle and Clarence Beds, by Odontopteris microphylla and 

 Pecopteris tenuifolia common to the Newcastle and Waianamatta 

 beds, by Gangamopteris angustifolia in the Newcastle and Bacchus 

 Marsh beds (app. xx), and by the general resemblance and con- 

 formity of the formations. Upon this head, that is, the Continuity 

 of the System, Mr. Clarke had no doubts. 



It is certainly very strange, if true, that an unbroken, more or 

 less coal bearing, series of formations should extend in these 

 regions from the Devonian to probably the Jurassic period. Yet 

 this is the conclusion to which the evidence now under considera- 

 tion seems to force us.* 



The remainder of the " Sedimentary Formations "is devoted to 

 observations upon the Cretaceous, Tertiary, Quaternary and Recent 

 formations of Australia. As, however, no marine strata later 

 than those underlying the Newcastle Coal have, as yet, been 



■' I must repeat that it is only by taking: Appendix xx. into consideration, as beirg, on 

 the whole, accepted by Mr. Clarke, that I venture to class the Clarence Beds as, in his 

 uitimate opinion, possibly Uirassic. He had previously distinctly admitted that they 

 might be not older than Mesozoic. S.F. p. 68. 



