﻿314 
  SIGILLARIA 
  AND 
  GLOSSOPTEEIS 
  IN 
  SOUTH 
  AFKICA. 
  [Aug. 
  1897, 
  

  

  The 
  finder 
  informed 
  me 
  that 
  the 
  stem 
  was 
  about 
  5 
  feet 
  long, 
  but 
  

   unfortunately 
  I 
  arrived 
  too 
  late 
  to 
  secure 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  fragments, 
  

   the 
  best 
  one 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  Natural 
  History 
  Museum, 
  South 
  

   Kensington. 
  1 
  The 
  strata 
  intersected 
  in 
  sinking 
  the 
  well 
  consisted 
  

   principally 
  of 
  coarse 
  gritty 
  sandstone 
  lying 
  horizontally 
  upon 
  

   highly-contorted 
  actinolite-schists 
  and 
  granite, 
  both 
  of 
  which 
  crop 
  

   out 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  This 
  patch 
  of 
  Molteno 
  Beds 
  is 
  

   detached 
  from 
  the 
  main 
  body, 
  which 
  lies 
  a 
  short 
  distance 
  to 
  the 
  

   eastward. 
  

  

  The 
  localities 
  enumerated 
  above 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  carefully 
  examined 
  

   by 
  me, 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  come 
  to 
  the 
  conclusion 
  that 
  the 
  strata 
  there 
  

   belong 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  geological 
  horizon 
  and 
  are 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   series, 
  namely, 
  the 
  Molteno 
  Beds, 
  which 
  are 
  generally 
  recognized 
  as 
  

   a 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  Triassic 
  system 
  of 
  South 
  Africa. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  the 
  generally 
  accepted 
  classification 
  of 
  the 
  

   South 
  African 
  rocks 
  (after 
  Dunn) 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Volcanic 
  Rocks 
  Fossils. 
  

  

  Cave 
  Sandstones 
  Fragments 
  of 
  reptilian 
  remains 
  and 
  fishes. 
  

  

  Red 
  Beds 
  Nearly 
  perfect 
  reptilian 
  remains. 
  

  

  Coal 
  Plants, 
  terns, 
  fossil 
  wood. 
  

  

  (Molteno 
  Beds). 
  

  

  ( 
  Ferns, 
  reptilian 
  remains 
  in 
  great 
  abundance 
  

  

  Karoo 
  Beds 
  (Dunn) 
  j 
  from 
  the 
  base 
  to 
  tbe 
  summit, 
  silicified 
  wood 
  

  

  Kimberley 
  Beds 
  (Green) 
  . 
  •{ 
  and 
  sedge-like 
  plant-impressions 
  in 
  lower 
  

   Beaufort 
  Beds 
  (Schenck) 
  . 
  j 
  beds. 
  Ganoid 
  fisbes, 
  Atherstonia 
  scutata 
  

  

  \ 
  and 
  others. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  doubt 
  that 
  the 
  Molteno 
  Beds 
  of 
  South 
  Africa 
  are 
  

   younger 
  than 
  the 
  strata 
  which 
  contain 
  the 
  great 
  abundance 
  of 
  

   reptilian 
  remains, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  Vereeniging 
  and 
  Zwart 
  Koppies 
  

   fossils, 
  belonging 
  to 
  species 
  generally 
  accepted 
  as 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  

   Carboniferous 
  period, 
  have 
  been 
  discovered 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  portion 
  

   of 
  these 
  beds. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  ways 
  of 
  explaining 
  this 
  occurrence 
  : 
  — 
  

   Either 
  these 
  plant-remains 
  were 
  carried 
  into 
  the 
  Triassic 
  rocks 
  as 
  

   fossils 
  ; 
  or 
  species 
  of 
  plants 
  hitherto 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  having 
  dis- 
  

   appeared 
  with 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  Carboniferous 
  period 
  survived 
  into 
  

   Triassic 
  times. 
  This 
  latter 
  is 
  probably 
  the 
  correct 
  interpretation 
  of 
  

   the 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Sigillaria 
  found 
  at 
  the 
  localities 
  mentioned. 
  The 
  

   general 
  geology 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  gives 
  the 
  impression 
  that 
  an 
  island 
  

   composed 
  of 
  Carboniferous 
  and 
  Devonian 
  rocks, 
  on 
  which 
  several 
  

   varieties 
  of 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  former 
  period 
  were 
  flourishing, 
  was 
  

   surrounded 
  by 
  water, 
  in 
  which 
  during 
  the 
  Triassic 
  period 
  the 
  

   horizontal 
  sedimentary 
  deposits 
  containing 
  coal 
  (Molteno 
  Beds) 
  

   were 
  laid 
  down 
  along 
  its 
  snores, 
  which 
  are 
  now 
  represented 
  by 
  the 
  

   ancient 
  beach-line. 
  

  

  I 
  submit 
  that 
  this 
  occurrence 
  of 
  Sigillaria 
  in 
  Triassic 
  rocks 
  is 
  

   strong 
  evidence 
  that 
  this 
  plant, 
  hitherto 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  typical 
  of 
  

   the 
  Carboniferous 
  period, 
  survived 
  in 
  the 
  Southern 
  Hemisphere 
  

   into 
  Triassic 
  times. 
  

  

  1 
  See 
  Mr. 
  Seward's 
  paper, 
  p. 
  315. 
  

  

  