BY LOFTUS HILLK, M.B.E., M.SC. 123 



shale beds of the Mersey basin were the marine facies of 

 the Mersey (East Greta) Coal Measures. The discovery and 

 investigation of the Preolenna Coal-field have supplied fur- 

 ther evidence of the geological horizon of our Lower Coal 

 Measures, and the coal seams and the associated kerosene- 

 shale present much valuable information in regard to sap- 

 ropelic coals. 



The glacial conglomerate forming the base of the Permo- 

 Carboniferous system in Tasmania has been studied in detail 

 by Professor Sir T. W. Edgeworth David at Wynyard. 



With these exceptions, the work accomplished on our 

 Permo-Carboniferous system has not been sufficient to give 

 us greater information than we jjossessed 18 years ago. 



(6). Trias- Jura. 

 The retention of the above dual nomenclature at once 

 indicates that we have not to any appreciable extent advanc- 

 ed our knowledge of the Mesozoic sedimentaries as developed 

 in Tasmania. This is due to the fact that very little actual 

 geological survey work has been attempted on our coal-fields. 

 It is, however, very satisfactory to be able to announce that 

 for the past ten months two geologists of the Geological 

 Survey have been constantly employed On this work, and will 

 be so occupied until the close of the summer, and our know- 

 ledge in this direction has already been extended. Mr. H. H. 

 Scott is carrying out some work on the Trias-Jura flora 

 which is being collected, and it is confidently hoped that 

 within the next twelve months a somewhat comprehensive 

 account of both the Permo-Carboniferous and Trias-Jura 

 systems will be possible. 



(7). Tertiary. 



Beyond the recognition at various localities of deposits 

 of Tertiary age and the areal mapping of some of them, no 

 advance has been made in working out the stratigraphy of 

 Tertiary sediments, either lacustrine or marine. 



IV. PAL^:ONTOLOGY. 



(1). Silurian. 

 A valuable addition to our knowledge of Silurian fossil 

 types was made as the result of the study by W. S. 

 Dun of a suite of specimens collected by the Geological Sur- 

 vey. The resulting determinations are contained in Geologi- 

 cal Survey Bulletin No. 8. 



