Freshwater Fossils from Central South Africa. 249 



fossils referred to in the paper, that this African formation, 

 extending from tlie Zambesi country to Ca|)e Colony, may be 

 older than Eocene, and that its occurrence in a basaltic region 

 comparable to that of the Deccan Trap country of Central 

 India may point to a similar horizon for its deposition, viz., 

 Upper Cretaceous. The assemblage of organisms found at 

 present in the African rock is admittedly very small, but, so 

 far as it goes, it seems to offer resemblances which would 

 associate it in time with that characterizing the Intertrappean 

 beds of India. It is to be hoped that additional specimens 

 may be forthcoming which might help to confirm these strati- 

 graphical suggestions, and so to strengthen the view that 

 these chalcedonized deposits may represent part of the land- 

 platform which united Africa with India during Cretaceous 

 times. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE VIIL 



Gastropoda. 



Ftff. 1. (A) Vimparus and (B) Paludestrina ?. Porsal views of surface- 

 specimens, X 8. No. 1352. [Fig. 1 B has been intensified.] 



Fiff. 2. Vioiparus ; microscopical transverse section from near tlie base 

 of a specimen. X 7. No. 1851. 



Fiff.3. Palt{(Iestri7ia?,doYg&\v'iey,', X 8. No. 1352. A surface-specimen 

 embedded in rock. [Figure intensified.] 



PLANT.ffl:. 



Fiff. 4. Chara stems as seen on the rock-surface, exliibiting typical 



longitudinal tiutings and obscure transverse jointings', X 7. 



No. 1352. 

 Fig. 5. A Chara fruit or oogonium of coniparatively large size, exhibiting 



etroiie spiral ridges, embedded in a matrix cavity, X 7. 



No. 13.52. 

 Fiy. 6. A surface-series of Chara fruits and cavities of minute size in 



longitudinal arrangenient, wiih microscopically fine spiral 



striations, X 5. No. IS.jO. 

 Fig. 7. A Chara stem cut transver.«e]y, as seen in a microscopical section 



of rock, showing the existence of about fourteen tubular 



apertures encircling the large central canal, X 8, No. 1351. 



[Figure intensified.] 

 Fig. 8. A group of transversely cut Chara .stem.s, as seen in a micro- 

 scopical section of rock exhibiting similar structures to the 



foregoing, X 10. No. 1352. 

 Fig. 9. Chara stems in transverse section, as seen in a microscopical 



preparation of rock showing an oval form with indications of 



the cortical cells, x 20. No. l.'J52. 



