482 Br, Feistmantel — The Gondwana Series of India. 



other places were only approximate. They have been, however, re- 

 produced in the same sense more recently by Mr. H. F. Blanford.^ 



Previously to this, the animal remains in the Panchet Group were 

 worked out, and declared as probably Triassic, by Professor Huxley,^ 

 and Dr. Oldham had described certain species of Ceratodus from some 

 of these rocks as most probably Liassic.^ 



Later still Dr. Waagen worked out the Cephalopoda of Kachh,* 

 almost the only place where distinct marine fossils occurred abun- 

 dantly in beds which also contain plants. 



But the greater number of the Gondwana plants, generally speak- 

 ing the prevailing fossils, remained undescribed and unexamined. 



Owing, as it appears to me, to one or the other of the more 

 common genera having been studied first, a wrong comparison was 

 instituted between one part of our Gondwana Series and the 

 Australian Coal-measures, and hence the inference was inadequately 

 drawn ^ that this Indian Series was also of Palaeozoic age. I hope 

 now to place this matter in a better light after a year and a half's 

 study of these fossils.^ 



The Gondwana Series is separated into two portions : — 1. Upper 

 or newer portion. 2. Lower or older portion. 



1. The upper portion comprises that which Dr. Oldham formerly 

 denominated the Kajmahal Group,'^ but which the examination of the 

 fossils has proved to contain at least two different groups. Of these 

 one may be called the Kajmahal Series ; and the other, which is 

 newer, may be named the Kachh Series. 



True Eajmahal beds occur in the Eajmahal Hills,^ near Atgurh 

 (Cuttack),^ and in the Godavari District near Golapili ^° (Ellore). 



The Kachh Series comprises the Kachh plant-beds, with marine and 

 terrestrial animal fossils, and the Jabalpur Group, beginning in South 

 Pewah, passing Jabalpur, and spreading out into the Satpura Basin. 

 This latter contains both plants and terrestrial animals. Besides the 

 above, the upper beds would also include the Sripermatur Group 

 near Madras ^^ (Mr. Foote), and Eajavapuram (Mr. King),^^ which 

 contains plants and marine animals, and is most likely intermediate, 

 but next to the Eajmahal Series ; also the small patch near Taparaz- 

 pilly Cotta (Coconada) with marine fossils, which represents the 

 upper beds in Kachh. Lastly the Kota and Maleri beds, which lately 



1 Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 1875, pp. 519-542. 



2 Palffiontol. Indica, 1865 (4, 1). 



3 Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol. i. 



4 Palffiontol. Indica, 1873-75. 



5 Dr. Oldham, Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol. ii. ; H. F. Blanford, Quart. Journ. 

 Geol. See, 1875 ; W. T. Blanford, Eec. Geol. Surv. India, vol. ix. No. 3. 



6 See my notes in Jahrb. d. k.k. geol. Eeichsanst. Wien, 1875, and in Eec. Geol. 

 Surv. India, vol. ix. Nos. 2 and 3. 



"^ Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol. ii. 



^ Oldham and Morris, Pal. Indica, 1862; Feistmantel, Eec. Geol. Surv. India, 

 vol. ix. No. 2. 



9 Fossil plants brought by Mr. Ball this year (1876). 



^0 Fossil plants collected by Mr, King — mentioned by me in Eec. Geol. Surv. India, 

 vol. ix. No 2. 

 ^1 Mr. Foote, Mem. Geol. Surv. India, vol. x. p. 100. Fossils sent by him. 

 12 Fossils collected and sent by Mr. King. 



