Dr. F. P. Mueller — Tektite from British Borneo. 207 



The bibliography of tektites consists of numerous articles and 

 monographs. Full lists are given in the following publications up 

 to date of their appearance : — 



1898. E. H. Walcott, Proc. Eoy. Soc. Victoria, vol. xi, pp. 51-2. 



1900. P. E. Suess, Jahrbuch K.K. geol. Eeichsanstalt, vol. 1, pp. 196-200. 



1914. F. E. Suess, Mitteilungen Geol. Ges. Wien, vol. vii, pp. 54-6. 



Attention must be drawn to the last of these three monographs. 

 It gives full information on the chemical properties, and deals with 

 all doubts that have been expressed on the origin of tektites. Further, 

 it contains a description of a new kind of tektite, called Queens- 

 townite. 



It is the purpose of the present paper to describe a find of tektite 

 from British Borneo, and specially to refer to those points which 

 in view of the importance of this new occurrence are considered 

 necessary. 



The Tektites of the Sunda Archipelago. 



The occurrences of tektites in the Archipelago, so far as known 

 up to date, fall within an area that extends from the south-eastern 

 corner of Borneo in a north-western direction to the southern portion 

 of the Malay Peninsula, including the northernmost point of Java 

 and the islands of Billiton and Great JNTatuna (Fig. 1). 



The specimens from the Malay Archipelago are comparatively few 

 in number, far fewer than the European and Australian tektites. 

 Tropical vegetation and preponderance of sea within the above area 

 might account for this. 



Only in places where in consequence of mining operations the super- 

 ficial deposits have been carefully examined, have a greater number 

 of specimens been found, such as on Billiton Island and in the Malay 

 Peninsula. Owing to the abundant occurrence at Billiton, the name 

 of Billitonite has been assigned to all tektites from Malavsia. 



It appears that the first Billitonite was found at Pleihari, in the 

 south-east corner of Borneo, by S. Mueller, about the year 1836. 

 A second specimen is known from the neighbourhood of one of the 

 two Riam rivers, north of Pleihari. Two specimens are known 

 from Mt. Muria, in Java, but only one appears to be an undoubted 

 tektite. In 1879 P. van Dijk first described the Billiton occurrences, 

 which were fully treated by R. D. M. Yerbeek in 1897. In 1898 

 two specimens were recorded by P. G. Krause from Great Natuna. In 

 1909 a number of occurrences from the Federated Malay States was 

 dealt within the Geological Magazine by Mr. J. B. Scrivenor (p. 411). 



The Tektites from British Borneo. 



In February, 1913, the writer found four specimens of tektite in 

 close proximity to Tutong Station, south-west'of Brunei town. They 

 were lying in a track, leading northward, and somewhat cutback into 

 a small hill just behind the Chinese shops of the village. Apparently 

 the stones were washed out of a white quartz sand, from a depth of 

 one to two feet below the surface. This sand is part of a deposit 

 that forms a well-marked terrace about 40 feet above sea-level along 

 the coast of Brunei, especially near Yerudong, north-east of Tutong. 



