THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 45 



almost exclusively composed of the Avell-known existing spiral 

 univalve shell, Cerithium. What forms a striking feature iu those 

 fossil remains is that the creature must have been eat(Mnbed by this 

 shell-drift almost simultaneously with its death. Tiiis fact serves 

 to sliow the great abundance of these testacea at that time. Had 

 it been buried in mud, or sand, it would not have appeared so 

 remarkable, still, even in that case, its complete entombment must 

 have been accomplished before decomposition had taken place to 

 any great extent, else the bones would have been more or less 

 dispersed and disarranged by tidal action on Avhat was, most 

 probably, the Laminarian zone of a Pliocene Tertiary sea shore. 



Along the shores of Tasmania, as along those of the Australian 

 mainland, are Raised Beaches occupying an altitude above the sea 

 level of from 50 feet to, in not a few instances, 150 feet. These 

 uplifted sea-margins are invested with much interest, as showing an 

 elevation of the land, or recession of the sea, during a late geological 

 period ; and which may, without doubt, be assigned to the Post 

 Tertiary epoch. They consist of an accumulation of shells wliicli 

 occur in beds conformable to the underlying deposits, consisting 

 chiefly of loam and clay. They vary in thickness from one foot to 

 three and four feet, and in very many instances are composed almost 

 entirely of fragments of shells. Those which are found entire are 

 chiefly univalves of stouter structure, such as Turbo, Trochus, and 

 Triton ; and of the bivalves, Ostrea, Pecteh, and Cardium. The 

 shells belong to families and genera existing at the present time in 

 Australian waters; thus showing the recent origin of these sliell- 

 beds. Tliese raised beaches have, to a small extent, contributed to 

 the osseous paheontology of Tasmania, by furnishing bones of marine 

 mammals. In a shell bed in the Sorell district, which has a mean 

 thickness of three feet, and is so rich in shells that it has been 

 worked for years for lime-burning purposes, I found the ear bone 

 of a whale, (Cetotolite,) and a part of the upper jaw of a seal, which 

 has been assigned to Arctocephalas lobatus, now met with on the 

 coast. 



(To be contimied.') 



OBSERVATIONS ON SOME PAPUAN AND 

 POLYNESIAN STERCULIACE^, 



By Baron yon Mukller, K.C.M.G., M. & Ph.D., F.R.S, 



In bringing some new specific forms of Sterculia and of allied 

 geiieia under notice, from collections recently received, the writer 



