250 



ties, it may be assumed that the large growth of coral near 

 Glenelg is not a single instance of its kind in our Gulf. 



Plesiast nra , even on the coral reefs, does not apparently 

 grow to any large size, which makes its occurrence in our 

 seas in huge proportions all the more remarkable, and quite 

 unsuspected until the late discoveries were made. Tenison- 

 Woods says:-— "The only corals on the south and south-east 

 coasts of Australia which could in any sense be called reef- 

 building forms are one or two species of Stylaster and one 

 or two of Ple^iastrcEa. Both of these are littoral, and grow 

 in tufts or small masses, but never in anything more than 

 the merest i^atches. Stylaster, though not uncommon about 

 Port Jackson, has not been found, as far as I am aware, on 

 the south coast, while Plemistrcea seems to extend from Port 

 Jackson right round to south-western Australia." (J^)i 

 p. 295. 



With respect to the distribution of the reef-building 

 corals Tenison-Woods says: — 'The reef-builders are not ex- 

 actly confined to the tropics in north-eastern Australia ; 

 they extend a little beyond it, and may be foimd as low as 

 latitude 28° S., or even lower. It seems to me that there 

 was formerly a prolongation of the Barrier Reef to the south. 

 If the map of north-eastern Australia be consulted, it will 

 be seen that to the north of Moreton Bay there is a large 

 island jutting out somewhat east of north. This is marked 

 on the maps as Great Sandy Island, but is locally known 

 as Frazer Island. It is separated from the coastline on the 

 south by Wide Bay. The land on both sides seems to con- 

 sist of immense drifts of red and yellow sand irregularly 

 stratified. To the north the island ends in a coral reef 

 called Break-sea Spit, and then the reefs are continued with 

 long interruptions in islands and coral shoals, including Lady 

 Eliot Island, Bunker Group, Capricorn Group, etc., until 

 the Barrier Reef is reached. Strictly speaking, Wide Bay 

 may be said to be the commencement of that inner channel 

 which continues inside the Barrier Reef right up to Cape 

 York, a distance of about 1,200 miles. It would be more 

 convenient, in the study of Australian corals, to designate 

 as belonging to the extratropical fauna all south of Break- 

 sea spit. Of the west side I can say little or nothing. 

 The shell fauna of Perth has certainly more of the Indian 

 Ocean in its focies than Australia, and the raised beaches of 

 Fremantle are unquestionably tropical in their fauna. I 

 should incline to the opinion that the extratropical fauna 

 should not be made to extend beyond the south-west cape. 

 Cape Leeuwdn." (D), p. 296. 



