PE JURASSIC PERIOD. 255 
Jurassic fauna of Western Europe approached to that now 
inhabiting Australia. At the present day, Australia is almost 
wholly tenanted by Marsupials ; upon its land-surface flourish 
Araucarie and Cycadaceous plants, and in its seas swims the 
Port-Jackson Shark (Cestracion Philippi); whilst the Mollus- 
can genus Z7yigonia is nowadays exclusively confined to the 
Australian coasts. In England, at the time of the deposition 
of the Jurassic rocks, we must have had a fauna and flora very 
closely resembling what we now see in Australia. The small 
Marsupials, Amphitherium, Phascolotherium, and others, prove 
that the Mammals were the same in order; cones of Arau- 
carian pines, with tree-ferns and fronds of Cycads, ‘occur 
throughout the Oolitic series; spine-bearing fishes, like the 
Port-Jackson Shark, are abundantly represented by genera 
such as Acrodus and Strophodus ; and lastly, the genus 7Z77- 
gonia, now exclusively Australian, is represented in the Oolites 
by species which differ little from those now existing. More- 
over, the discovery during recent years of the singular Mud-fish, 
the Ceratodus Fosteri, in the rivers of Queensland, has added 
another and a very striking point of resemblance to those 
already mentioned; since this genus of Fishes, though pre- 
eminently Triassic, nevertheless extended its range into the 
Jurassic. Upon the whole, therefore, there is reason to con- 
clude that Australia has undergone since the close of the 
Jurassic period fewer changes and vicissitudes than any other 
known region of the globe; and that this wonderful continent 
has therefore succeeded in preserving a us number of 
the characteristic life-features of the Oolites than any other 
country with which we are acquainted. 
LITERATURE. 
The following list comprises some of the more important sources of 
information as to the rocks and fossils of the Jurassic series :— 
(1) ‘Geology of Oxford and the Thames Valley.’ Phillips. 
(2) ‘ Geology of Yorkshire,’ vol. ii. Phillips. 
(3) ‘Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain.’ 
(4) ‘Geology of Cheltenham.’ Murchison, 2d ed. Buckman. 
(5) ‘ Introduction to the Monograph of the Oolitic Asteriadze’ (Palaeon- 
tographical Society). Wright. 
(6) ‘* Zone of Avicula contorta and the Lower Lias of the South of 
England ”—‘ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.,’ vol. xvi., 1860. Wright. 
(7) ‘‘ Oolites of Northamptonshire ”—‘ Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc.,’ vols. 
xxvi. and xxix. Sharp. 
(8) ‘Manual of Geology.’ Dana. 
(9) ‘Der Jura.’ Quenstedt. 
(10) ‘ Das F lotegebirge Wiirttembergs.’ Quenstedt. 
(11) ‘Jura Formation.’ Oppel. 
