

148 



elastic bitumen, was discovered on the surface of the ground in 

 South Australia in the neighbourhood of the Coorong (a lagoon) 

 in 1865. It will be useful to quote some information regarding 

 the Australian * bitumen," and to compare the two substances. 



In an article written in 1872, Mr. (now Sir) W. T. Thiselton- 

 Dyer* summed up what was known with regard to this substance, 

 to which the following names had been given : — " Australian 

 caoutchouc," " Coorongite," and " Mineral Gamboge." Its occur- 

 rence is thus described :— " It consists of sheet-like masses some- 

 what more than an inch in thickness ..." and " is confined 

 to a depressed portion of the district, the bottom of which is sandv 

 and grass-covered ; it occurs on the banks forming the margins of 

 the depression, and also on the sides of island-like elevations 

 which are scattered about it." The precise nature of the substance 

 appeared very doubtful, in the first place on account of the 

 divergent views expressed by different scientific observers. 

 M. J. Berkeley gave his opinion that there was no doubt that it 

 was a collemalt in an imperfect state. Whittell found a mycelium 

 and dark brown sporules (?) and several diatoms. Another 

 observer described a granular and cellular structure with en- 

 tangled fibres of decayed fungi. Archer came to the conclusion 

 tnat the substance was "certainly organic- 



things 



some 



some confervoid or fungal threads, and the like." 



.J hi ^ e, ! 0n "?. y f \ in com menting on these different views and 

 other data which he had obtained, wrote as follows :— " The sug- 

 gestion which occurred to Mr. Berkeley, that it is the residue of 

 some cryptogenic plant, is, at first sight, very olausible. One can 



hi™. c„k I "'7" au XD1CB » ^yer rwo leet tmck ot a JNostoc- 



mlf^a-f n ?' ( ; overed 1 w ] th » gramineous vegetation. One can 

 miagyne it also to result from the drying up of a lake covered 



Z n. H Z rmonema fiuitans^ the < vegetable turtle fat ' described 

 SpSL S n e f emann as a J e %-l*e mass several feet thick, with a tall 

 species of Sedge growing on it," But after quoting an analysis 



~^¥^^^f^^^^r-: *«. PP- 103-106 



29, 1871) 

 rig tasmafiica, 



* ThP iL i B hen m w H ch the AI *? a ia a Olococavm. J l 



itbar Alf X Sff^ 6 ^ th £ ° u r g ani9m ™» described by Eichwald (Om en 

 _ r ... ?• it'oimcolla aieutica, Eichw. : Skan<l Xofn^f v^^i ttt tu^o 



PO 615-61 W tw;' ' "«h»w.; oKana. isaturt. Forhandl., III.. 1*42, 



scattered ia «Sm ?° adequate description. The cells are described as 

 pared ^th^C P n?^T g ^ 0US $ elatino ™ substance, and the Alga is oom- 



^£ d&°!£SS JfiSr character ' but stated t0 differ in 

 to /^^»?1£^ • ng v? , l?15r' ww ' , • which was evidentl y a mis P rint - 



sampLot he '^eXaSJl 1 /' 862 fe P - ^ St&t f that Berkeley identified a 



termlU, Breoisson but re r ™ i\ ***»™»P»* [^ho.\m. Hoomospom] tram. 



Brebisson's bdJSS hi IT f * B»n*mm* [sphalm. Jfoomonema] #*ita»$. 

 uruuisHon s species 19 a filamentous form nl»«*l Ln» t™.- , a ., „ i\' A 







synonym 



l| Moisture 



ft« : = j?™ 



^g^ •*• ••• — ... ll'D.iOO 



?«-r ta i" ::: - - - }™ 



2037G8 



0-4682 



14-7300 

 1 1 -6300 



imated matters 



i 



