38 



A few gasteropodous shells from the Murray and Aldinga beds are 

 described by me in a paper communicated to this Society. 



One other fossil from our rocks has been made known ; it is the so- 

 called Belemnites senescens, described by myself in the Quart. Journ. Geol' 

 Soc, May, 1877. Its reported occurrence on the Murray is an error, 

 but I have found it at Surveyor's Point, Yorke's Peninsula. Professor 

 McCoy in Decade V. Prod. Pal. of Vict., describes and figures the axis of 

 a zoophyte, under the name of Graphularia Robince, obtained from the 

 Tertiary strata. He points out its very close resemblance to the guard 

 if a Belemrrite, and suggests that the so-called discovery of belemnites in 

 the tertiary strata of South Australia is based upon a similar fossil. It 

 is unfortunate for science that Professor McCoy is so oblivious of the 

 labours of others, else he might have taken some pains to clear up the 

 doubt. To me the two fossils are identical, and if the generic name 

 must be changed, then the fossil must, according to the law of priority, 

 be known as Graphularia senescens. I have not found a phragmacone, 

 but two specimens exhibit a regularly conical alveolar cavity ; and 

 until I can clear away the mysterious nature of this cavity I must hold 

 the question of the systematic position of the fossil as not proven. 



A few foraminifera and ostracoda from the Murray and Mount 

 Gambier beds have been determined by Professors Rupert Jones and 

 Brady, the names of which have been published in Quart. Journ. Geol. 

 Soc, 1860, and Geol. Mag., July, 1876. 



In conclusion, I may quote the words of my friend, the Rev. J . E. 

 Tenison Woods, who writes, (Pro. Poy. Soc. of Tasmania, 1876) : — '' It will 

 be seen from this brief sketch that the tertiary formations of Australia 

 have occupied many minds, yet our progress, so far, has been somewhat 

 slow. This is the more remarkable as it has long been believed among 

 scientific men that the development of Australian geology must reveal 

 facts of the utmost importance to science generally." This belief is day 

 by day finding confirmation at my hands ; already our Tertiaries are 

 known to contain genera hitherto regarded as of secondary age, and the 

 facts are accumulating which go far to prove that the lower portions of 

 them are older than they have hitherto been regarded, and may indicate 

 a palseontological overlap of tertiary on secondary. So large a number of 

 organic remains have to be arranged, classified, and compared that my 

 labours in this direction are not sufficiently advanced to enable me to 

 submit to you a comprehensive view of the question. 



