1080 DR. R. BROOM ON NEAY PEKMIAX 



to correspond to the palreontological. Further, as wide areas of 

 the Karroo are covered by wind-blown dust which forms what 

 may be regarded as a sort of loess deposit, and the exposed 

 portions, except in the case of escarpments, are usually isolated, it 

 becomes a ma,tter of extreme difficulty to connect up the various 

 beds. The shales for a thickness of 3000 or 4000 feet present no 

 distinguishing characters, and at present we can do little more 

 tlian collect fossil specimens and note the localities. 



I subdivided the Beaufort into six zones which may be grouped 

 as follows : — 



T-T 1-, r . f 6. Cynoqnath'us Beds. 



Upper Beaufort < r- 7V 77, ^ i 

 ^^ [ 5. I rocolophon Beds. 



Middle Beaiifort 4. Lyst^-osaurus Beds. 



3. (Jistecej>hal'iis Beds. 



Lower Beaufort \ 2. Endothiodon Beds. 



1. Pareiasaurtis Beds. 



The Lystrosaurus zone probably corresponds to the Lower 

 Triassic ; the Cynognathus zone to the Upper Triassic. The 

 Pareiasaums beds are probably Middle Permian ; the Endothiodon 

 and Cistecephcdus beds are probably Upper Permian. All work 

 done since 1905 has gone to confirm the correctness of the con- 

 clusions then arrived at, but it has shown that we will some day 

 1)6 able to subdivide the zones into a large number of subsidiary 

 zones. 



The Pareiasaurus zone is the oldest one where fossils are 

 numerous. Pareiasaurus is its most characteristic form, but theie 

 are a host of other known genera, mostly of Therocephalians. 

 Small Anomodonts — Eicynodon and Oudenodon — are also not 

 uncommon. 



Above the Pareiasaurtts zone we have deposits which measure 

 about 2000 feet, principally characterised by the abundance of 

 Dicynodon and Oudenodon. Of every six fossils obtained, five are 

 those of Eicynodon or Oudenodon. As, however, these genera 

 occur at all horizons of the Beaufort, it seems imwise to speak 

 of this as the Eicynodon zone. I have therefore called it the 

 Endothiodon zone, as Endothiodonts are met with throughout it 

 and are known at no other horizon. Therocephalians are not 

 common, but may be met with at any height. Curiously enough, 

 with the exception of Propappiis and Saurosternon, no genera a.re 

 knocvn from the Endothiodon zone which do not belong to the 

 Anomodontia or the Therocephalia. 



Above the Endothiodon zone is a zone probably not more than 

 1000 feet thick, which is characterised by the presence of 

 Cistecephalus, and the higher types of Therocephalians. The zone 

 is at present the least known of any part of the Beaufort, mainly 

 because since Andrew Bain's time no collector has had an oppor- 

 tunity of doing much with it. 



At Beaufort West, one has an opportunity of studying to 

 advantage the Endothiodon zone. The township is situated on 



