Mr. Clarke's Communication, ^c. 103 



exception of Phyllotheca^^ , which is coiifiuecl to the locality) 



are well known in the oolitic coal deposits ofYorkshu'e^ and 



one species, the Sphenopteris yermana (McCoy) is scarcely to 



be distinguished from the common Pecopteris Murrmjana 



(Br) of the Scarborough shales. Several of these genera 



are common both to the carboniferous and oolitic periods ; 



but the most abundjyit and characteristic plants of the 



Australian beds belong to a genus {Glossopteris) never found 



in the old coal-fields, but several species of which are, on the 



other hand, well known in coal-beds of the oolitic age in 



various parts of the world. I am, therefore, strongly of 



opinion, from the evidence of more than double the number 



of species of plants knoAvn before, that the coal deposits of 



Australia should be referred to the oolitic period ; and this 



opinion derives much additional Aveight from the negative 



fact that, among the large quantity of remains of plants 



which I have examined from this district, not a trace has 



'been observed of any of the characteristic carboniferous 



' genera — not a trace of Lepidodendronox any alliedplant — not 



' a trace of Sigillaria, Favulai'ia, Stigmaria, or even of true 



' Calamites. 1 might further add, that the list of plants I have 



' given destroys any negative arguments formerly based on the 



' fossil evidence for considering the Jerusalem coal basin to be 



' of a different age from the Newcastle one, as I have detected 



' the most characteristic plants of the former abundantly in 



' the latter beds, so that the fossil evidence now would go with 



' the admitted identity of the walls of the basins, and the 



' general analogy of the sections to prove them all of one age. 



'^ In the underlying rocks I have been able to determine 



' 83 species of animal remains, of which 14 are Zoophyta, 3 



' Criniodea,4i Crustacea, '^'6 Brachiopoda,2\^Lamellihranchiata, 



' 6 Gasteropoda, 4 Pteropoda, and 3 Cephalopoda (including 



' Bellerophon) ; of these, 4 genera and 32 species are figured 



' and described as new. These 83 species belong to 39 genera, 



' all of which (with the exception of the genera Tribrachyocrinus, 



' Pachydomus, Notomya, and Eurydesma — new forms — at 



*■ present only known in Australia) are abundant in the carbo- 



' niferous rocks of Britain, many of them not being found in 



' any higher series, and several of them not being known in 



' any older deposits, so that the age, even if ive only look to the 



'genera of the fossils, is clearly limited to the carboniferous 



' period ; but when we descend to the critical examination of 



* Phyllotheca lias, since the Paper was read, been also discovered in the 

 Oolitic Sections of Europe by de Zigno. 



