Miocene Tertiary.-] PALEONTOLOGY OF VICTORIA. {Plants. 



Abundant in the red and yellow ironstone strata of Miocene 

 Tertiary age 2 miles west of Maddingly (A* 2), and in similar beds 

 at ^ mile N.W. of junction of the Werribee and Lyall's Creek. 



EXPLANATIOX or FlGUEES. 



Plate XL. — Fig. 1, type specimen from near Maddingly, natural size. Fig. la, ditto in 

 outline to show the neuration. Fig. 2, portion of much larger leaf (var. major) from near 

 junction of Werribee and Lyall's Creek, natural size. Fig. 3, base of another specimen, showing 

 how high above the base the true lateral ribs arise, natural size. 



Plate XL., Fig. 4. 

 LAURUS WERRIBEENSIS (McCoy). 



[Genus LAURUS (Lin.). (Class Exogens. Sub-class Monochlomydeas. Ord. Lauraceae,) 

 Gen. Char. — Leaves coriaceous, thick, entire edged, pinnatinerved, or imperfectly trinerved. 

 (Other parts omitted as not represented by our fossils.)] 



Description. — Leaf ovate, lanceolate, petiolate, about 4 inches lon^ and 1^ 

 inches in greatest width a little below middle of length. Midrib strong, basal pair 

 of ribs slightly stronger than the succeeding secondary ones and longer, arising 

 from midrib above the base at about 30° and gently arching upwards and outwards 

 to the margin, .subparallel with the edge so as to imperfectly represent the lateral 

 ribs of trinerved leaves ; secondary veins successively less ohlique to midrib, opposite, 

 arching gently upwards and outwards to the margin. From lateral to 1st secondary 

 vein 1 inch, 2nd to 3rd and 3rd to 4th each 10 lines, 4th to 5th 8 lines. Nervules 

 very fine, numerous, forming a small oblong reticulation. 



I adopt Schimper's suggestion of placing temporarily in Laurus 

 such lauraceous leaves as have only an imperfect development of 

 the trinerve neuration. The present species is scarcely distin- 

 guishable from one I have from the Miocene beds of Altsattel in 

 Bohemia, except for its more regularly opposite secondary veins. 



Rare in the Miocene Tertiary ferruginous beds at ^ mile N.W. 

 of junction of the Werribee and Lyall's Creek. 



Explanation of Figure. 

 Plate XL. — Fig. 4, leaf, imperfect at each end, natural size. 



Frederick McCoy. 



By Authority : John Ferres, Government Printer. 

 [32] 



