TnANSACTIONS OP SKCTION C. 



711 



(if instances it hns Itecn ftssunu'd that siniiliuily Ix'twccn fooMil torrcsfrinl fauiin« 

 mid fliiriis pnivi's idontity of ^folo^'icul ajrc, and, by ar^iiiiiiK' in u viciniiH circU), tlia 

 (ici'urri'iK'f rif,-iiiiiliir tyix's, assiiiiinl witliuiii .•-iitl'uii'i"! jinnil' to iMiloii;; to tln' suiut* 



^r(.i)I()f:i('ul pi'iind, lias I ii allt'ijod as fvidfiu'o ol" the exi.stfiicij of .-iimilar forniH 



in iii>tii»l ciiuiitrics at thii siiiiic tiiiif. 



Ill the jtrt'ccditifj n-iiiarks it may jioihaps havo siiriiriMfd Honn! of my auditory 

 tliul 1 liavo scarcely alhuh'd to any American formations, and especially thai I iiavo 

 iKit iiii'Mtioned so Will known and interest in;/ ii caso of coiillictin^'' ]iiila'nnt()li)},'ical 

 (■vidt'iice as that of the I/iraniie frroup. My reason is simply liiat then' are 

 iirobiibly many here who are persdiially aciiuainlej with the ^t'uVx^y of tlio 

 Anii'rican (Cretaceous and Tertiary l)eds, and wlio are far hetter able to judffe than 

 I iiiii of the evidence as a whule, ']'<• all who are stndyin;^' such ijuestiens in 

 Aiiit'iica 1 think it will ln" mure useful to t'ive the details of similar jjeolo^'ic al 

 |iii/z!rs from the Masti'rn ln'ini-phere than to attempt an imperfect analysis of 

 (liliicult prohlenis in the j;ri'at Western cdiitinent. 



I'erlni])s it may he useful, considerinif the leii^'-tli to which this address has 

 extended, to recapitulate the ])rincipal facts I havo endeavoured in hrin^' heforo 

 Villi, 'fhi'se are — 



1. 'I'liat the ;;eoloi:iciil .'iL'e iis.Hl;.'ned i>n homntaxiiil ^'rounds to tlie l'ik"rmi niul 

 Siwalik manimaliuii fauna> is inconsistent with the evidence all'orded by the 

 iinjoi'ittfed marine dejiosits. 



2. Tlie atre similarly assiirned on the same data to the ditieront series of the 

 (Idiidwiina system nf India is a mass of conirailicliipiis ; beds with a Trias-ic fauna 

 iivi'i'lyiiifr others with IJhiciic nr Jurassic llura^. 



.'!. The fi'eolo^'ical ]iosili(m as-iirned nn similar exidi'iice to cerlain Australian 

 licds is eijually contradictory, a .Jurassic tlora beinj,' of the same ajin as a 

 Ciirhoiiiferous marine faiiiia. 



4. The same is probably the case with the terrestrial and Iresh-water faunas and 

 floras of South Al'rica. 



T). In instances of confliclin;; evidence between terrestrial or fresh-water 

 fiiuiuis and floras on one side, and marine faunas on tht; other, the f^eoloj^ical af.'0 

 iiicliciiled by the latter is probably correct, because the contradictions which ])revail 

 bftweeii the evidence all'orded by successive terrestrial and fresh-water beds are 

 uiikiiown in maiine di'jiosils, lieeause the .-uccession of terrestrial animals and 

 plants in time has been ditlerent fnnn the succession of marine life, and because in 

 all ]»ast times the ditlerences between the faunas and floras of distant, lands havo 

 jirobably been, as they now are, vastly (jreater than the dillerences between the 

 animals and jilant ^ inhabiting' the different seas and oceans. 



(!. The geolo^^ical ap:e attributed to fossil terrestrial fauuns and floras in distant, 

 countries on account of the relations of such faunas and floras to those found in 

 Eurojiean beds baa ])roved erroneous in so larf^e a number of cases that no similar 

 determination.^ .slionld be nccejited unless accomi)anied by evidence from marine 

 beds. It is probable in many cases — perhaps in the majority — where the age 

 of bed.s has been determined .solely by the comparison of land or fresh-water 

 animals or plants with those found in distant parts of the globe, that ssucii deter- 

 minations are incorrect. 



The following Papers were read : — 



1. liesHltif of jiast crpcn'fiiirp in (inhl Mhiii.f in Noi^a Scotia. 

 By EnwiN Giliin, Jun., A.M., F.G.S., F.R.S.C. 



The gold fields of Nova Scotia stretch along the wdiole Atlantic coast of the 

 province, and occupy an area of about 7,()()0 square miles. 



The auriferous measures may be divided into two series, an upper one con- 

 sisting of black jiyritous slates with occasional bed of quartzite and some auriferous 

 veins and a lower one made up of alternating beds of slates and quartzites and 

 compact sandstone, .sometimes felspatbic. The upper series is estimated to be 3,000 

 feet thick, the lower !>,000 feet. 



m 



