498 Scientific Proceedings, Royal Dublin Society. 
Dr. Feistmantel, the Paleontologist of the Geological Survey of 
India, has, on the evidence afforded by the fossil plants, offered 
the following detailed correlation with European formations :— 
Upper Cutch and Jabalpur = Lr. Oolite 
Rajmehal = Lias 
Panchet = Keuper 
Lower Damuda es Trias 
Talchir 
How far such identifications between parts of the world so 
remote from one another are to be relied on is perhaps open to 
question. There is much, no doubt, to be said upon both sides. 
It will only be possible for me to allude very briefly to the 
principal points at issue; but before doing so, I propose to 
describe the leading characteristics of the several groups which 
constitute the lower portion of the above classification. 
The Upper Gondwanas being of little economic importance, 
though of great interest otherwise, may be passed over in this 
communication. The two are probably separated by a very 
distinct break in time, as the lower are often much disturbed, 
while the upper maintain their original horizontal positions. 
Taking the groups successively in ascending order, the lowest is 
the— 
TALCHIR Group.—The rocks composing this group consist of 
sandstones, fine shaly silts, and boulder beds, all of which are 
commonly of greenish or buff colours. The maximum thickness is 
800 to 1,000 feet, but in many of the fields it does not amount to 
more than about one-fourth of that amount. These rocks are found 
at the base of all the coal fields, and also in many outlying tracts 
where they are not in contact with newer deposits. Of especial 
and general interest to geologists is one variety of boulder bed, as 
it affords evidence of the existence of floating ice at the time of 
its deposit in latitudes running as low as 16° 30’ N. 
But asa paper by me on this subject has already been published 
in the journal it will be unnecessary to enter further into details 
again. It is of importance, however, to reiterate the fact that in 
these rocks we find the first traces of life in India, the vast thick- 
nesses of rock deposited in previous periods being, so far as we 
know, azoic. These first forms consist chiefly of equisitaceous 
plants and ferns, all of them, I believe, such as might have existed 
in a moderate temperate climate. 
