21 



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2. 

 3. 



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6. 



7. 



belonged to Mesozoic age. It is probable that the coal 

 seam known to exist a little further to the south of the 

 Arched Island is a member of the same group, as well as the 

 coal seams occurring south of Port Esperance towards 

 Whalehead. The true position of the coal measures was first 

 suggested to my mind by the intimate stratigraphic relations 

 which subsisted between the members of the coal measures 

 and the underlying marine beds. 



This supposition was afterwards confirmed by my discovery 

 of well-known lower coal measure plants, which appear to be 

 restricted to two very thin bands of dense carbonaceous shale 

 situated immediately above and below the seam of coal now 

 being worked. 



The following is a list of all the plants observed by me. 



Gangamopteris spathulata. 



,, obliqua. 



Glossopteris Browniana, var. praecursor. 

 Portion of a fruit with rubricate scale impressions of 



irregular pentagonal form. 

 One or two fruits identical with forms common in the 



Mersey coal shales. 

 One specimen of a large fruit. 

 Impressions of various ferndike stems. 



These plant impressions are abundant in the two bands of 

 shale already referred to, but I could not succeed in tracing 

 any plant impression in the laminated shales — grey and 

 black — so largely developed above and below the margin of 

 the coal seam, and extend for about a mile along the shore 

 some distance north of Quiet Corner. ]STo trace of any plant 

 could be found which corresponded with any one of the 

 many forms which characterise the Mesozoic coal measures 

 so widely distributed throughout Tasmania. 



The only difference discernible between the species of 

 Gangamopteris and Glossopteris found in the Mersey Basin 

 and at Adventure Bay is that in the latter place they appear 

 to be very much more dwarfed. But these features are not 

 of much value as the neuration, form, and size of the various 

 species of these genera are remarkably variable in the 

 Mersey shales. It is worthy of remark that I was unable to 

 discover any trace of NoeggeratJu'opsis, which is commonly 

 associated with Glossopteris and Gangamopteris in the Mersey 

 Basin, and also in a similar position in New South Wales. 



Taking all these circumstances into consideration, I am of 

 opinion that these beds clearly belong to the lower coal 

 measures of Tasmania. Mr. Zschachiner has kindly supplied 

 me with the following information with respect to the two 

 shafts sunk to the coal seam now being worked. 



