Notes on Miocene Straia at Jemmy's Point. Go 



During the last ten or twelve years, however, the data 

 iiecessar}^ for determining the relative ages of our tertiary 

 deposits have largely increased. An extensive suite of 

 fossils has been collected, not only from the arenaceous 

 and argillaceous, but also from the calcareous beds ; added 

 to which, some most important stratigraphical observations 

 have been made on the sequence of tlie strata by Professor 

 Tate and others. The conclusion to be drawn from the 

 accumulated weight of evidence is, that the calcareous strata 

 to which I have alluded must be referred to the Eocene, 

 and not, as has hitherto been the case, to the Miocene epoch. 



In the course of our trip to the GijDpsIand Lakes, Ave 

 stayed for some hours at Bairnsdale, and took the oppor- 

 tunit}^ of visiting the fossiliferous section on the banks of 

 the River Mitchell, a few miles from the town. The fossils 

 are contained in a hard calciferous rock, and are extracted 

 with difficulty. During the time at our disposal, we were 

 able to distinguish only twenty-three species, but I trust 

 that, before long, some local geologist will recognise the fine 

 opportunity there is here for collecting, and add largely to 

 this numbei\ I give a list of the fossils obtained, principally 

 for the sake of comparison with those from the neighbouring 

 bed at Jemmy's Point: — 



Waldheimia garibaldiana. | Lima jeffreysiana. 



Waldheimia insolita. ; Spondylus psendoradnla. 



Waldheimia graudis. j Spondylus gaederopoides. 



Waldheimia tateaua. Cucullffia corioensis. 



Magasella compta. 

 Ostrea hyotis (?) 

 Dimya dissimilis. 

 Pecten gambierensis. 

 Pecten sturtianus. 

 Pecten semilaevis. 

 Hinnites corioensis. 

 Lima hassii. 



Couus (ca:-)t). 

 Troehus (cast). 

 Cellepora fossa. 

 Clypeaster gippslandicus 

 Leiocidai-is austialis. 

 Deltocyathus viola. 

 Orbulina, sp. 



The only species common to this list, and that given for 

 Jemmy's Point, is Cuculkea corioensis which, though most 

 abundant in the Eocene, has yet been found in every part 

 of the tertiary series, from Eocene to Pliocene. Possibly, 

 with further research, a few other shells common to both 

 deposits may occur, but, judging from ray experience with 

 similar strata in the west of the colony, the proportion will 

 remain small. 



On the other hand, sixteen out of the nineteen species, 

 which are sufficiently well preserved to receive distinctive 

 names, occur also in the Eocene blue clays of Muddy Creek, 



F 



