io8 Notes. [ 



Vict. Nat. 

 Vol. XXIX. 



" The Australian Naturalist." — The October part of this 

 publication announces the amalgamation of the New South 

 Wales Naturalists' Club and the Flora Society under the new 

 name of "The Naturalists' Society of New South Wales," but 

 why has not the new society altered the name of its journal to 

 correspond with that of the society, and thus indicate the 

 particular part of Australia it is connected with. The journal, 

 which contains a number of interesting articles and notes, is 

 now edited by Mr. T. Steel, F L.S., a former member and office- 

 bearer of the Field Naturahsts' Club of Victoria. 



Mount Macedon. — Bulletin No. 24 of the Geological Survey 

 of Victoria, recently issued, is devoted to " The Geology and 

 Petrology of the Macedon District," by Professor E. W. Skeats, 

 D.Sc, and Mr. H. S. Summers, M.Sc, illustrated with twenty- 

 eight plates and a map. The authors deal very fully with the 

 many interesting points suggested by the numerous geological 

 formations which occur in the district. The geologically 

 coloured map issued with the bulletin covers an area of about 

 140 square miles, and on it no less than eighteen formations are 

 indicated. The central portion of the map shows a large area 

 of dacite, which includes Mount Macedon. the Camel's Hump, 

 which, however, is an intrusion of solvsbergite, and Mount 

 Towrang. South-east of this is an area of granodiorite, while to 

 the north is a dislocated area of anorthoclase trachyte. Almost 

 surrounding these is an area of ordovician. The other principal 

 formations shown are normal, and other varieties of basalt, 

 buckshot gravel, and here and there patches of alluvium and 

 hill wash. The physical geography of the district is dealt with 

 in an interesting manner, but the most important portion of the 

 contribution is necessarily that devoted to the petrology. The 

 authors have arranged the formations into three main groups of 

 rocks, viz., sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic. These are 

 subdivided into twelve series. Thus the sedimentary rocks are 

 dealt with under the sub-headings of Ordovician Sediments, 

 Kerrie Conglomerates, Kainozoic Deposits, Alluvium, and Buck- 

 shot Gravel ; under igneous rocks we have the Dacite Series, 

 Granitic Series, Alkali Series, and Basalt Series ; while the 

 metamorphic rocks are divided into Altered Ordovician 

 Sediments, Altered Kerrie Conglomerates, and Altered Dacite. 

 In the alkali series two new rocks are described — Macedonite and 

 Woodendite — taking their names from the places of occurrence. 

 Fourteen plates are devoted to photo-micrographs of sections of 

 various rocks, while five plates reproduce photographs of typical 

 scenes of the district. The bulletin, which is issued by the 

 Mines Department at one shilling, will form a most useful 

 handbook for any geological student visiting the district, and 

 represents the vacations of some six years spent in hard work 

 among the Macedon hills. 



