[Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, 32 (N.S.), Pt. II., 1920.] 



Art XVI. — Notes on a Collection of Tertiary Fossils from 

 Ooldea and Watson, South Australia. 



BY 



FREDERICK CHAPMAN, A.L.S. 



Palaeontologist to the National Museum, Melbourne ; 

 Hon. Palaeont. Geol. Surv. Vict. 



(With Plates XVI., XVII. and Text Figure.) 



[Read 11th December, 1919.] 



Introductory. 



On account of the scarcity of iuforniation regarding fossils occur- 

 j-ing in the area traversed by the construction of the Iransconti- 

 nental Railway from Port Augusta to Kalgoorlie, it seems advis- 

 able to put on record some notes of the specimens now in the 

 National Museum. 



The fossils under consideration were collected by Messrs. F. A. 

 Cudmore, K. C. Chandler and Dr. T. Griffith Taylor, B.E., B.A., 

 F.G.S. Mr. Cudmore obtained a large collection of Miocene fos- 

 sils, mainly as casts and moulds, in his recent trip to Ooldea and 

 Watson, and a selection of these he has given to the Museum. I 

 am also indebted to him for tlie pliotographs here reproduced, and 

 for detailed infoi'iiiation of the various fossiliferous exposures 

 north and south cxf the raihvay. 



Mr. R. ('. Chandler was successful in obtaining a number of fos- 

 sils in this locality during the early history of the line's construc- 

 .tion, when engaged in acquiring natural history specimens for the 

 Museum . 



Dr. Griffith Taylor also collected a few fossils during his rec-nt 

 journey to Central South Australia, and has kindly donated the 

 cora-1 specimens — one of which is here figured — to the State cnllfjc- 

 tion. 



Localities of Collection. 



The Ooldea Soaki has been known to travellers from Fowler's Bay 

 for many A-ears. It is situated on the Nullaboor Plains, wesr of 

 the sand-hill country, about 100 miles N.W. of Fowler's Bay, and 

 about three miles north of the railway line. Various outcrops of 



1. See S. A. White. The Kinu, Jan. 1919, ]\ 189. 



