TRANSACTIONS OF SECTION C. 



701 



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from some coal-bcarinij; bods in Tonquin.' This flora is very pxtraordinarj* in every 

 respect. It consists of 22 species, and contains only two peculiar forms; ten, or 

 nearlv one-balf, are Eurojiean species found in the lower Lias or Uliietic ; whilst of tlio 

 reinaininir ton, five are Damuda forms — Xorrff/n-af/iinpsis hish)])!, Macrut(r)ti<q)tcri-f 

 fcddcni, VaUcovitfana liUrzi, (ilossupfen!^ hiDWuiana, and Phijllothprn indicrt, onn 

 species heuii? common to llie Newcastle heils and Carhonift-rous flora of Australia, ami 

 two others closely allied to the forms there occurrin;.'. The other five are said to be 

 Rainiahal forms, four Tccnioptcrix or Anniopterulium ami an Otuzamifps. ]\I. Zeiller 

 imiie-itatinffly classes the Tonquin beds as Kluetic. It is most singular that thi'se 

 coal-l)eds, although more distant from I'^urope by 18° of longitudi! than either the 

 Damuda or llajmahal beds of India, contain a larger proportion of iMiropean fossil 

 species tlian any Icnown Indian plant-beds ; whilst the association in the same strata 

 of upper and lower Gondwana forms, if well ascertained, shows bow hopeless is 

 till) attempt to classify these deposits by plant evidence alone. 



Aus/raliftn Coal-Mcnsuri" rind A.tsorutfcd Jnds. — In the notice of the lower 

 Gniidwana floras of India i -as observed that there was a great rcsomblanco 

 between some of them and t! ■ found in certain beds of Australia. These latter 

 present even a more remarkable instance of homotaxial perversity than do tho 

 hidian rocks. The Australian plant-bearing beds are found in Eastern and 

 .Soutliern Australia, Queensland, and Tasmania. For a luiowludge of the geology 

 of tlie country we are chh-fly indebted to the writings of the late Mr. ("larke,- 

 wbilst the flora has been worked out by ^IcCoy, Dana, ("arvntliers, and Feistmantel, 

 tlie last having recently published a nnich more complete account than was 

 previously available.' 



The following are the fresh-water or subaerial beds of Australia, according 

 to the latest classiflcation : — 



0. Clarence River beds, New South "Wales (Mesozoic carbonaceous of 



Queensland, ^'ictoria, and Tasmania.) 

 5, AVianamatta beds, N.S. Wales. 



4. Hawkesbury beds, N.S. Wales (Bacchus Marsh sandstones, Victoria). 

 .'<. Newcastle beds, N.S. Wales. 

 2. Lower Coal-Measures with marine layers interstratified, N.S. Wales. 



1. Lower (carboniferous beds, N.S. Wales. 



To a still lower horizon probably belong some beds in Queensland, containing 

 Lopidiidrmlron nufhum and Cijrlosfii/mn. They are considered Devonian by 

 Carruthers, and there are some ancient plant-ljeds in Victoria that may be of tho 

 same period. 



1. Lower Cftrbo7tifproiis Brd.'f. — These underlie the beds with a Carboniferous 

 marine fauna. The localities given are Smith's Creek, near Stroud, Port Stephens, 

 and Arowa, The following plants are enumerated : — 



LvcoroDiAOEJE. — Cyclosti(j)na, 1 sp. ; Lopidudcndron, 2 or 3; Knorria, 1, 

 I'ltiiCKS. — lihacoptfis, 4; Arc/ueopferif, 2 (1-) ; (jlos8oj>tem, 1. 

 E(iuiSETACKj;. — Ccddtiiifes, 2; Sji/u'iuqihijlluni, 1. 



Tills flora contains several specits identical with those in the Lower ( 'arboniferons 

 (Beruician) of Europe, corresponding to the Mountain Limestone. The agreement 

 both in liomotaxis and position is the m(U'e remarkable because of the startling 

 contrast in the next stage. Tho only ])eeuliarity is the presence of a Glus.tvj)fcri.t. 

 This comes from a diflerent locality — Arowa — from most of the fossils, and tho 

 Jpecius is identical with one found in a much higher series. Under these circum- 

 stances it is impossible to feel satisfied that the specimen was really from this 

 liorizou. The evidence is not so clear as is desirable. 



' JiiiJ!. Sue. Oi'vl. ser. iii. vol. xi. p. •J.'JO. 



'•' <,>..!. (1. S. ]S(!l,p. .Jol, and lhii;nrJt.i on the Sedimentary Formations of Xcw 

 South Wales, 1878, besides numerous other works. 



' ral(contoyr(ij>hiea. — I'al u.mct.Jlora dcs Ml, Avstralien 1878-79. 



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