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A Preliminary Note on the Fossil Woods from 

 SOME Australian Brown Coal Deposits. 



By E. Dorothy Nobes, B.Sc, 

 Research Scholar in Botany, University of Adelaide. 



[Read October 19, 1922.] 



The South Australian brown coal deposits at Moorlands 

 have recently been the subject of geological investiga- 

 tion,(i) but the plant remains they contain have not as yet 

 been examined botanically. It therefore seemed that a 

 study of the plant constituents of this material might prove 

 of interest. A quantity of material was made available for 

 investigation by Mr. A. C. Broughton, manager of the Moor- 

 lands Mine, whom I take this opportunity of thanking. 



For comparison with the material from Moorlands a col- 

 lection of woody fragments was obtained from the brown coal 

 deposit uncovered this year at Yallourn, Gippsland, Victoria. 



My thanks are due tO' Professor Osborn, Department of 

 Botany, University of Adelaide, for the interest he has shown 

 throughout the course of the work. It had been intended to 

 carry the investigation further, but, circumstances having 

 arisen that will prevent m}^ doing so, the results are given 

 here as far as they go. 



Material from Moorlands. 



The coal consists of a matrix in which, are embedded frag- 

 ments of lignite often of considerable size. Occasional layers 

 of black shiny coal are noted, also lumps of a jet-like sub- 

 stance thought to be resin. Several specimens of coal show a 

 laminated structure, between the layers of which are numerous 

 leaf cuticles and other leaf fragments, ^2) all of which appear 

 to be Dicotyledonous types. It was, however, thought advisable 

 to confine the present investigation to an examination of the 

 structure of the ''wood," since it has been shown that leaf 

 impressions and leaf cuticles alone are of doubtful value (^) in 

 generic determinations of Tertiary plants. The woody 

 material was separated out from the matrix, and after suit- 

 able treatment it was found possible to obtain good microtome 

 as well as free-hand sections. 



Forty-five distinct pieces of wood were obtained. These 

 show varied states of preservation, but a large number were 



(1) Broughtoii, A. C ; also Miawson, Sir D., and F. Chapman. 



(2) Broughton, A. C, Lc, p. 252. 



(3) Seward, vol. iv. Andrews, 1916. 



