Geological Society. 195 



way to contradict -well-known authors on a matter of fact. We 

 refer to the inclusion of the Altai wapiti {Cervus eiistephanus of 

 Blanford) as a synonym of the Persian red deer (C. mural). A 

 greater blunder could hardly have been committed. 



Neither is the work quite free from misprints, as witness Rucercus 

 for liucervus, on page 875. 



Nevertheless, as already said, the blemishes and faults are but 

 few, while good work is pre-eminently conspicuous ; and we there- 

 fore close this brief notice with a repetition of the sense of the obliga- 

 tion under which Dr. Trouessart has placed all working students of 

 the Mammalia. 11. L. 



PROCEEDINGS OF LEARNED SOCIETIES. 



GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



November 9th, 1898.— W. Whitaker, B.A., F.R.S., 

 President, in the Chair. 



The following communicatioa was read: — 



' On the PaliBozoic Radiolarian Rocks of New South Wales.' 

 By Prof. T. W. Edgeworth David, B.A., F.G.S., and E. F. Pittman, 

 Esq., Assoc.R.S.M., Government Geologist, New South Wales. 



The first evidence of the presence of radiolaria in the rocks 

 of New South Wales was obtained by Prof. David in 1895, as 

 the result of a microscopic examination of some red jaspers from 

 difi'erent areas. Further research by the same author was stimulated 

 and guided by seeing the radiolarian rocks recently discovered in 

 Mullion Island, Cornwall, and in the Culm-districts of Devonshire, 

 during a visit to England in 1896 ; and on his return to Sydney he 

 recognized the existence of a series of cherts, lydites, and siliceous 

 limestones containing radiolaria in four distinct areas. A brief 

 preliminary account of these rocks was communicated to the 

 Linnean Society of New South Wales, and specimens were for- 

 warded to Dr. G. J. Hinde for determination of the radiolaria. 

 Subsequently, in conjunction with Mr. Pittman, a detailed exami- 

 nation of the rocks in the field was carried out, and the results are 

 given in the present paper. In this final investigation it was 

 ascertained that not only in the cherts and siliceous limestones, but 

 also in the jointed claystones which form the prevalent sedimentary 

 rocks of the Tamworth district, radiolaria were distributed in»vast 

 numbers. 



The three chief areas of radiolarian rocks in New South Wales 

 are Bingara, Barraba, and Tamworth, situated in the New 

 England District, between 180 and 270 miles north of Sydney. 

 Bingara, the farthest locality, is 30 miles north of Barraba ; and this 

 latter is 60 miles north of Tamworth. The character of the rocks 

 in these localities tends to show that they belong to the same 

 series ; and in this case its extension from south to north is about 

 85 miles. 



