105 



has been been already described, tbat they are seen to belong to 

 one great group. I shall reserve for the end of the paper such remarks 

 on the species as may throw light upon their affinities. I will merely 

 observe now that the most of the specimens were either broken or in 

 auch a hard matrix that a full and satisfactory examination is what I 

 could not obtain in every case. The matrix and the preservation shows 

 a remarkable difference from the corals of the various strata of Victoria 

 or Tasmania. There the corals were well preserved, but in a very brittle 

 and soft matrix, so that unless they were very carefully handled they 

 were irrevocably destroyed. A peculiar glazed appearance, which is 

 very common in the fossils of Victoria and Tasmania, is not seen in 

 these ; nor do they seem to be stained with ferruginous oxides to the 

 same extent. I mention this because in Victoria and Tasmania the 

 peculiar characters referred to seem to be due in part to the intercala- 

 tion of volcanic rocks with the formation. It would be worth while to 

 enquire whether such influences had begun when these, perhaps the 

 oldest members of the series, were deposited. 



Before I begin the description of the species it may be as well to 

 take a g^nce at what has been hitherto done in our 'I ertiary fossil corals, 

 so that the references may help those who wish to follow up the 

 subject. 



In 1864 Professor Duncan described some fossil corals sent by me to 

 him. The descriptions and figures appeared in the Annals of .Natural 

 History for September of the same year. 



In 1865, the same experienced author described in the Annals for 

 September, p. 182, some other corals. 



In 1870, he also described in the Journal of the Geological Society, 

 p. 285, a number of new species sent home from the Victorian Geological 

 Survey, and at the same time gave a complete review of all our tertiary 

 species, stating their relations and the evidence they afforded of our 

 climate. 



In 1875, he further described in the same Journal, vol. 31, p. 673, 

 some Tasmanian fossil corals, and again in 1876 other species from the 

 same tertiary beds in vol. 32, p. 341. 



In 1876 I described two species of fossil corals from Table Cape, 

 Tasmania, iu the Proceedings of the Royal Society, Tasmania, p. 115. 



In 1877, in the Proceedings of the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, p. 

 183, I figured and described some new species of corals, and also ex- 

 tended the observations of Prof. Duncan on his and my Caryophyllia viola 



