25 



NOTE ON THE DISCOYEEY OE SPONDYLOSTBOBUS 

 SMYTHII, MUELL., AND OTHEE FOSSIL EETJITS 

 IN THE DEEP LEAD DEIFT AT BEANDY CEEEK 

 GOLDFIELD. 



By Eobt. M. Johnston, F.L.S. 



Througli tlie kind interest of several friends, particularly 

 Mr. Stockman, mining manager, and Mr. J. W. Brown, 

 district surveyor, I have from time to time received frag- 

 ments of Fossil Wood, principally a lignified Pine, with 

 structure which appears under the microscope to be identical 

 with lignified Pine remains at Breadalbane and elsewhere 

 throughout the Launceston Tertiary Basin. These woods 

 are obtained in sinking shafts to the "deep lead" at the 

 Brandy Creek goldfields, about 40 or 50 feet from the 

 surface, in a stratum of black carbonaceous clay. Eecently, 

 having directed the attention of the miners to look out for 

 fruits, I was fortunate in securing a few tolerably well 

 preserved specimens, one of which is undoubtedly the well 

 known Spondylostrobiis Smythii, Mueller, found abundantly 

 in the " Haddon," and other deep leads in Victoria. 



One of the others is most probably a species of Penteune, 

 closely allied to the species found by the late Mr. Morton 

 Allport, in the travertin at Eisdon Quarry. 



I submitted the fruits to Baron Von Mueller, who is 

 praiseworthily investigating the paleophytology of Victoria 

 and New South Wales, and he not only confinned my 

 opinion, but declared that in one of the drawings (No. 5), 

 contained in my first paper to the Eoyal Society of Tas- 

 mania (" Eegarding Comp. and Extent of Tert. Beds, Laun- 

 ceston," read 12th August, 1873), he believed he discerned 

 the missing foliage of S. Smythii, so long unavailingly sought 

 for in Victoria. He stated further that if I could find out 

 whether the whorls were quinary he would feel justified in 

 relating the various parts. Unfortunately, the specimen 

 from which I took the drawing has crumbled to powder, but 

 in a fragment of the Eisdon Quarry travertin presented to 

 me some years ago by the late Mr. Morton Allport, I believe 

 I have discovered the same foliage, which is undoubtedly 

 quinary. I have long ago arrived at the conclusion that the 

 travertin beds at Eisdon are closely related to the lower beds 

 of the Launceston Tertiary Basin, from the identity of 

 certain vegetable impressions. I have now to draw attention 



