xlix. 



Phillips, and other Jurassic fossils occurred at Stuart's Creek ; 

 and had lost sight of the fact that Mr. C. Moore, Quart. Journ. 

 Geol. Soc, 1870, records the existence of a Jurassic fossil of 

 Queensland, Qytherea Clarkei, Moore, on the Gregory, north of 

 Einniss Springs. 



The history of the discovery of Mesozoic fossils at opposite 

 extremities of the continent will be found in the papers by Mr. 

 Moore, op. cit., and Mr. Daintree, same journal, 1872. The 

 Jurassic fossils from Queensland are referred to 89 species, not 

 one of which is, with certainty, identical with European forms, 

 whilst those from "West Australia, which belong to 30 deter- 

 mined species, are for the most part of European origin. It is 

 also noteworthy that there are no species in common to the 

 two Australian areas. The distinctness of the faunas renders 

 it highly probable that widely separated periods are repre- 

 sented by them, and I am strongly of opinion that the Queens- 

 land type approximates to a Cretaceous facies. However, there 

 are no decided points of contact between the marine faunas of 

 the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of Queensland. 



The South Australian localities affording Jurassic fossils are 

 in the interior and on the line of the transcontinental telegraph ; 

 the more distant locality is the Peake, 700 miles from Adelaide ; 

 the nearer one is Stuart's Creek, where Stuart found the species 

 of Cytherea, first mentioned by Clarke, and subsequently named 

 by Moore O. Clarkei. Mr. E. G. Waterhouse, in his report 

 u On the Features and Productions of Country on Stuart's 

 Track across Australia," records the discovery in the following 

 terms : — "I was fortunate to find in the vicinity of the Gregory 

 and the Welcome Springs, in small portions of argillaceous 

 rock, which here and there crop out on the surface of the 

 plain, some fossil wood and shells. The shells are marine, and 

 consist of mussels and three other species of bivalves. I am 

 not able at present to ascertain whether these fossil shells are 

 identical with the recent ones found on our coasts, but I am 

 inclined to think they are not. I hope at some future time to 

 be able to decide this, as it would throw much light on the 

 geological formation of this part of the country by showing to 

 which of the divisions of the Tertiary formation this argillaceous 

 rock belonged" (p. 2.) Seventeen years have elapsed since the 

 above observations were made, and so far as I can ascertain the 

 inquiry has not advanced one iota. An examination of the 

 specimens has proved that they belong to species forming part 

 of the small Jurassic fauna made known to me through the 

 collections forwarded by Mr. Canham, of Stuart's Creek, The 

 following notices of fossiliferous rocks, made by Mr. Water- 

 house, doubtlessly refer to the same formation: — "Near the 

 base of Mount Beresford I found in some detached portions of 

 4 



