4 RECORDS OF THK AUSTRALIAN MCSEUM. 



A valued correspoiulent of tliis iiiuseuni, Mr. W. T. Watkin 

 Brown, obtained a number of tliese fossiliferous nodules 

 from Anson Bay ; these are now here. Besides confii inino' 

 Mr. H. Y. Tj. Bi'own's information, his collector informed hini 

 that the nodules Hre plentiful on the beaches after south-east 

 winds, when they are washed out of the mud ( = blue clay of 

 H. Y. \j. B.) below high-water maik, oi- by tlie action of tlie 

 waves on a low mud bank above tidal influence; tliis last is 

 pi'obably a gradual reformation of tlie blue (day in question. 



With the view of ascertaining how far fossilisation had been 

 cari'ied, portions vvei-e submitted to our (!ol league, Dr. ('. Andei- 

 son, foi' qualitative analysis. He repoits as follows : — '• These 

 )'emains have suffered a coiisi(leral)le degiee of replacement and 

 petrifaction. I could find no undoubted evidence of the ])resence 

 of chitin and the e.voskeleton is (partly at least) dolomitized. The 

 intei'ior is tilled witli a hai-d magnesian limestone showing \ ughs 

 lined with secondry ciystals. 



2 Ih-rlni. — Kiom iiiforniation supplied to us by Mr. AV. D. 

 Campbell, late of the Greological Survey of Western Australia, 

 the occMirrence of these Crustacea at Derby is much the same. 



He savs "The nodules ai'e found at low-water spring-rides 



near Derby Whaif, in the hollows of runs of water formed in 

 the river banks, and appear to have been washed out of the yrey 

 clav of the river bed and bank^ which appears to form the 

 valley flat." 



3. ('iiiiile ('((Hill nnd Yiirm l\lri'r Delia, Mrllinn nit^. — In 1878 

 seven bores were driven tlirougli the Estnarine deposits of the 

 delta prepai-atory to excavating a water-way, m)w known as the 

 New Channel, to deflect the course of the river Yarra I'ouiul the 

 great bend enclosing Coode Island, and opposite Kootscray. We 

 are indebted to M? . R. Rudd, Secretary to the Melbourne Hai- 

 bour Trust Commission, for a map showing the positions of these 

 bores, and iournals of the same. From the lattei' we gathei' no 

 rock was encountered, but the rods invariably passed through 

 sand or silt, or both, in nH)st instances followed by soft blue or 

 black clay, and this again by hard, tough blneaTid yellow clay, 

 the lattei' the lower of the two. The position of the soft yellow 

 clav varied from fourteen to twenty-one feet from the sui'face. 

 tha"tof the tough clays from eighteen to thirty-seven feet. The 

 thickness of the soft blue clay varied from two feet six inches 



