Art. IV. — Evidence of the Existence of a Cambrian 

 Fauna in Victoria. 



By R. Etheridge, Jiinr., Corr. Meuib. 



(Curator of the Australian Museum, Sydney). 



(With PLite I.) 



[Eead 8th August, 1895.] 



Geological research has, so far, made known in Australia and 

 Tasmania three groups of rocks believed to be of Cambrian age, 

 as evidenced by Palseontological evidence. 



The beds in question, in the order of their reported discovery, 

 are : — 



1. Caroline Creek beds, Mersey River District, Tasmania, 



containing Trilobites and a limited Molluscan fauna.* 



2. York Peninsula Series, South Australia, and northern 



extension of the same in the Flinders Eanges, with 

 Trilobites, Mollusca and a low form of Coral life.f 



3. Kimberley beds, N.W. Australia, with a Trilobite, and a 



possible Pteropod. :|: 



Tlie locality of the Kimberley fossils is not definitely known. 

 I have searched both the late Mr. E. T. Hardman's Reports,§ 

 without finding any record of this occurrence. 



Until the appearance of Messrs. Selwyn and Ulrich's "Notes 

 on the Physical Geography, Geology and Mineralogy of Victoria, "|| 

 no direct reference to rocks older than Silurian in Victoria had 

 been made. Therein Sir Alfred (then Mr.) Selwyn contented 

 himself by remarking that westward of Melbourne " there seems 

 to be a very gradually descending series, and towards the extreme 



* See T. Stephens, Papei-s and I'roc. Roy. Soc. Tas. for 1874 llST'i], p. 27; Etheridge, 

 Junr., Ibid, for 1S82 [1SS3], p. 151. 



t See H. Woodward, Geol. Maj;., 18S4, I. (3), p. 343 ; Etheridge, Junr., Trans. Roy. Soc. 

 South Australia, ISOO, xiii., I't. I., p. 10; Pritchard, Ibid, 1892, x\., \'t. II., p. 179; Tate, 

 Ibid, p. 183. 



X See Koord, Geol. Mag., 1890, vii. (3), p. 98. 



§ 1st and 2nd Reports on the Geology of the Kimberley District, Western Australia 

 (folio, Perth, 1884-85). 



1 8vo. Melbourne, 1866 (p. 10). 



