9G6 VOLCANIC ACTIVITY ON THE ISLANDS NEAR NEW GUINEA, 



Evidences of Rising of the Maclay-coast in New Guinea. 



Besides the already mentioned changes from shocks of frequent 

 earthquakes, I have noticed in many places on this coast i)roofs of 

 the gi'adual rising of the coast. A large extent of the same is 

 nothing but uplifted coral banks, and in the greenish sandy clay 

 (1) which forms the nearest hills to the coast (from 100-400 feet 

 high), I found some layers with remains of marine animals, 

 (Anthozoa, Echinodermata, MoUuscaand Crustacea), the appearance 

 of which seemed to prove that the rising of the coast was quite of 

 recent date, 



I noticed these remains imbedded in clay in a great many places 

 at different heights over the sea, but always neglected to make a 

 systematical collection of them. At one place, however, near the 

 village Bongu, the layers appeai'ed particularly rich and the speci- 

 mens well preserved, not broken. Having taken there a few 

 handfuls of the sandy clay, I washed them carefully out and 

 obtained a small collection of shells which, at my request has been 

 kindly examined by Mr. J. Brazier. The shells (38 different 

 sjiecies) belong to the following 18 genera : — Ranella, Nassa, 

 Mitra, Oliva, Terehra, Comes, Stromhus, Bulla, Atys, Dendalium, 

 Cultellus, Corbula, Mactra, Tell'ina, Venus, Cytherea, Leda and 

 Area (2.) 



All the shells, without one exception, belong to species at present 

 living on the Coasts and Islands of the Pacific. 



Amongst debris of different Eckinoidea and Crustacea, I obtained 

 in the clay only one unbroken specimen of Laganum (Spec. T), 

 and the carapace of a small Crustacean ( Myra, Spec. 1) 



Many of the shells from the clay-layers look as fresh as 

 if they had been gathered alive on the shore and well preserved 

 afterwards. But the above mentioned layers of sandy-clay of 



(1.) Mr. C. S. Wilkinson, to whom I showed some of the clay, expressed 

 his opinion that this "greenish calcareous sandy clay of Bongu, Maclay- 

 Coast, resembles in lithological character the Miocene Tertiary clay of Yule 

 Island on the south coast of New-Guinea." 



(2.) /. Brazier. List of some recent shells found in layers of Clay on the 

 Maclay-Coast, New-Guinea. (Proceed. Lin. Soc, Vol. 9, part 4.) 



