64 Proceedings. 



various stages of formation and decay can be seen. The 

 geological situation of the caves is also interesting, being 

 quite close to one of the principal watersheds of the Colony, 

 namely, that dividing the rivers which flow to the Pacific 

 Ocean from the inland system of drainage, the waters of 

 which ultimately reach the sea by the River Murray. 

 The creeks which flow through the caves contribute 

 their waters to the Neapean River, and finally reach the 

 sea by the Hawkesbury, while, within a few miles, is the 

 Fish River, one of the two streams which unite to form 

 the Macquarie, near Bathurst. The Macquarie is a 

 tributary of the Darling, and this joins the Murray. So 

 close are the caves to this system of drainage that they 

 are often called the Fish River Caves, although separated 

 from that stream by the watershed. There is a good 

 deal of similarity between most caves in limestone, but 

 there are certain features about the Jenolan caves which 

 render them especially interesting to a geologist as 

 well as to a non-scientific visitor, amongst which are the 

 great beauty and variety of the deposits of calcite in 

 the caves. In one of the caves, the elder, a curious 

 species of blind spider has been found. One of the 

 caves, only partially explored, is known as the Mammoth 

 Cave, and contains passages 10 miles long. The Wellington 

 Caves are far away to the North-west from the Jenolan, 

 being about six miles from the town of Wellington, which 

 is 248 miles from Sydney, and 995 feet above sea level. 

 They were discovered in 1832 by Sir Thomas Mitchell, and 

 are interesting from the fossil bones which have been 

 obtained there, such as those of Diprotodon, Thylacoles, 

 and other extinct marsupials. Tools, drawings on the 

 walls, and other indications of man's presence, have also 

 been found, shewing that they were once inhabited, but the 

 period at which they were so is uncertain. 



Mr. WILLIAM BroCKBANK, F.G.S., read a paper 



