488 Dr. 0. Feistmantel — The Flora of E. Australia. 



Equivalents : Mesozoic beds in Queensland, in New South Wales 

 (and in Tasmania). 



2. Lower Mesozoic beds (Bacchus Marsh sandstones), of Bacchus 

 Marsh (W.N. W. of Melbourne) ; also termed the Gangamopteris beds, 

 having yielded, as far as known at present, one genus of fossil plants 

 only, namely, Gangamopteris, M'Coy, with four species : Gang, 

 angustifolia, longifolia, spatulata, and obliqua. 



Gangamopteris is a genus allied to Glossopteris, having the same 

 netted venation — but no midrib. This circumstance, as well as the 

 occurrence of Gang, angustifolia, M'Coy, in the Upper Coal-measures 

 (Newcastle beds) in New South Wales, brings these beds in a 

 certain relation to the Bacchus Marsh sandstones, which, however, 

 very likely are a little younger — but at all events not older than the 

 Newcastle beds. This is of great importance, as I believe that the 

 Bacchus Marsh sandstones, with their abundance of Gangamopteris, 

 represent, to a certain extent at least, the basal beds (the Talchir 

 beds) of the Indian Gondwana system, in which Gangamopteris is 

 also very numerous, in which case it would then be impossible to 

 correlate the Indian Coal-strata (Daniuda Series) with the Lower 

 (Palaeozoic) Coal-measures in Australia. 



3. Carboniferovs (Avon Biver sandstones), on the Avon Biver, in 

 Gippsland, with Lepidodendron australe, M'Coy. 



4. Devonian (Iguana Creek sandstones), on the Iguana Creek, 

 Oippsland, with Sphenopteris Iguanensis, M'Coy, Aneimites Iguan- 

 ensis, M'Coy, ArchcBopteris Howitti, M'Coy, Cordaites australis, 

 M'Coy. 



IV. Tasmania. 



1. Mesozoic. — ■ Count Strzelecki described certain beds on the 

 Spring Hills, Jerusalem's Basin, containing Pecopteris (Alethopteris) 

 australis, Morr., Pecopteris odontopteroides, Morr., and Zeugopliyllites 

 elongatus, Morr., as doubtfully dipping below other beds, with 

 Pachydomus globosus, from which it was, of course, afterwards 

 inferred that these plant-beds were Palaeozoic. But Prof. M'Coy 1 

 clearly stated that Mr. Selwyn, the Director of the Victorian Ceol. 

 Survey, who made an official Survey of the Tasmanian Coal-fields, 

 found the Pachjdomus-beds in their natural position, under the 

 Coal-beds. 



Moreover, Mr. Crepin, in his note 2 on Pecopteris odontopteroides 

 from the Jerusalem's Basin in Tasmania, states, that on the same 

 specimens of shale together with this species occurred still another 

 fossil plant, Sphenopteris elongata, Carr., just as it was observed on 

 specimens from the Mesozoic beds in Queensland, which certainly 

 leaves little doubt as to the homotaxis of these beds in Tasmania, 

 when compared with those in Queensland, and consequently also in 

 New South Wales and in Victoria. 



I shall now enumerate and shortly discuss the fossils 

 (including the few fishes), as we know them at present from the 

 Australian plant-bearing (coal-bearing) strata. 



1 In Trans. B,. Soc. of Victoria, vol. v. 1860, p. 104. 



2 Bull, de l'Acad. Eoyale de Belgique, 1875, vol. xxxix. pp. 258-263. 



