THE TASMANIAN GRAPTOLITE RECORD. 401 
No. 17.—ORE DEPOSITS OF THE SILVER SPUR. 
By H. G. StToxss. 
(Read Wednesday, January 12, 1898.) 
No. 18.—AN EXAMINATION OF THE TASMANIAN 
GRAPTOLITE RECORD. 
By T. S. Haut, M.A. 
(Read Wednesday, January 12, 1898.) 
Havine been led to investigate the Tasmanian Graptolite record, 
I thought that it might be as well to bring forward the informa- 
tion which I had gathered, especially as some of it is derived at 
first hand from the gentleman who announced the discovery of 
these organisms in the Tasmanian rocks. 
In his ‘‘ Report on the Mineral Resources and on the Perma- 
nency of the Lisle Gold-field,” Mr. Thureau*, in dealing with the 
“ Geological Features,” says: ‘These comprise regularly bedded 
slates and sandstones from blue to grey in colour; in the former 
incomplete petrifactions (Diplograpsus nodosus) were observed, 
resembling to some extent the Victorian series of Graptolitide.” 
Mr. R. M. Johnston, in a letter replying to my request for further 
information, tells me that this is the only record of which he is 
aware, and that he has never seen any specimens of Tasmanian grap- 
tolites. Mr. A. Montgomery, formerly Government Geologist of that 
colony, has also kindly answered me to the same effect, and states 
that he was unable to find any graptolites in the neighbourhood of 
the alleged find. Taking advantage of the presence of Mr. Thureau 
in Melbourne, I closely cross questioned him on the subject, and 
he good-naturedly gave me all the information he could. The 
specimen has disappeared, and Mr. Thureau has no notes dealing 
with it, so that that line of inquiry is blocked. Mr. Thureau, 
however, says he recollects the specimen perfectly, There was but 
one, and he is quite certain it was a Diplograptus, and nearly 3 
inches in length. This he carried to Strahan, and there identified 
it from memory, no books of reference being available ; nor did 
he at any later time compare it with the figure and description, 
and shortly after lost it. It is apparent that a specific deter- 
mination of this kind is valueless. There can, I think, be little 
doubt that the specimen was a graptolite, and, moreover, one of 
the Diplograptide ,; for it must be remembered that Mr. Thureau 
was familiar with these fossils, having lived for some time in 
Bendigo, where he had collected them and sent specimens to Sir 
Frederick McCoy, one being a new generic type. As regards the 
species, however, to which Mr. Thureau referred, his specimen, 
* Tasmanian House of Assembly Journals, vol. xliii, 1882. Paper No. 146. 
2¢ 
