﻿vol. 
  53.] 
  sigillaeia 
  and 
  glossopterts 
  in 
  south 
  africa. 
  339 
  

  

  Discussion 
  (on 
  the 
  two 
  preceding: 
  papers). 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Blanfoed 
  said 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  much 
  gratification 
  to 
  

   those 
  who, 
  despite 
  the 
  views 
  of 
  many 
  European 
  palaeontologists, 
  

   had 
  maintained 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  on 
  geological 
  evidence 
  that 
  the 
  

   Glossopteris-fdLMiia, 
  was 
  Palaeozoic, 
  to 
  find 
  their 
  contention 
  confirmed 
  

   by 
  recent 
  botanical 
  discoveries. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Griesbach 
  pointed 
  out 
  that 
  the 
  fossil 
  plants 
  exhibited 
  on 
  the 
  

   table, 
  showing 
  true 
  Carboniferous 
  types 
  associated 
  with 
  Glossopteris, 
  

   constituted 
  another 
  and 
  valuable 
  contribution 
  to 
  our 
  knowledge 
  of 
  

   these 
  beds, 
  which 
  we 
  know 
  as 
  Gondwanas 
  in 
  India 
  ; 
  and 
  they 
  con- 
  

   firmed 
  in 
  a 
  striking 
  manner 
  the 
  fact, 
  already 
  accepted 
  in 
  India 
  and 
  

   Australia, 
  that 
  the 
  lowest 
  beds 
  of 
  this 
  group 
  of 
  strata 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   later 
  Carboniferous 
  and 
  Permian 
  systems. 
  With 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   diagrams 
  shown 
  on 
  the 
  wall, 
  he 
  wished 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   not 
  in 
  strict 
  accordance 
  with 
  the 
  features 
  as 
  actually 
  seen 
  on 
  the 
  spot. 
  

   Neither 
  does 
  it 
  appear 
  probable 
  that 
  the 
  various 
  areas 
  of 
  coal- 
  

   bearing 
  beds 
  — 
  as, 
  for 
  instance, 
  Newcastle 
  in 
  Natal, 
  Vereeniging, 
  

   Boksburg 
  and 
  Middelburg 
  in 
  the 
  Transvaal 
  — 
  have 
  been 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  

   one 
  continuous 
  basin 
  as 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  diagrammatic 
  map 
  exhibited. 
  

   These 
  deposits 
  show 
  evidence, 
  as 
  do 
  our 
  Indian 
  coal-basins, 
  of 
  

   having 
  been 
  laid 
  down 
  in 
  separate 
  basins, 
  probably 
  marking 
  systems 
  

   of 
  rivers, 
  in 
  Permo-Carboniferous 
  and 
  later 
  times. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  Seeley 
  stated 
  that 
  when 
  he 
  visited 
  Aliwal 
  North 
  in 
  1889 
  

   Mr. 
  Alfred 
  Brown 
  showed 
  him 
  many 
  plants 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  obtained 
  

   in 
  white 
  sandstone. 
  They 
  included 
  Glossopteris 
  and 
  Lepidodendroid 
  

   plants, 
  together 
  with 
  a 
  variety 
  of 
  ferns, 
  which 
  might 
  be 
  new. 
  

   There 
  was 
  no 
  opportunity 
  of 
  visiting 
  the 
  locality 
  ; 
  but 
  Aliwal 
  

   North 
  is 
  near 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  Karoo 
  Series, 
  and 
  he 
  thought 
  

   that 
  Mr. 
  Brown's 
  plants 
  might 
  be 
  from 
  beds 
  yielding 
  Easkele- 
  

   saurus, 
  which 
  he 
  would 
  place 
  above 
  the 
  Indwe 
  coal. 
  There 
  

   are 
  indications 
  of 
  coal 
  near 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  Karoo 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle, 
  but 
  the 
  workable 
  beds 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  seen 
  were 
  towards 
  

   the 
  top 
  : 
  although 
  their 
  flora 
  was 
  not 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  beds 
  

   worked 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Brown, 
  which 
  resembled 
  the 
  types 
  now 
  exhibited. 
  

   He 
  should 
  like 
  to 
  see 
  better 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  beds 
  before 
  

   admitting 
  them 
  as 
  Permo-Carboniferous, 
  because 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  

   South 
  African 
  vertebrata 
  of 
  the 
  Karoo 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  below 
  the 
  beds 
  

   which 
  are 
  found 
  near 
  Aliwal 
  North. 
  The 
  Lower 
  Karoo 
  comprised 
  

   the 
  zone 
  of 
  Pareiasaurus 
  ; 
  then 
  came 
  the 
  zone 
  of 
  Dicynodon 
  ; 
  

   above 
  that 
  is 
  the 
  zone 
  of 
  Ptychognaihus 
  ; 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  is 
  the 
  

   zone 
  of 
  the 
  Theriodont 
  reptiles, 
  which 
  he 
  placed 
  below 
  the 
  Cape 
  

   coal. 
  He 
  had 
  regarded 
  all 
  these 
  beds 
  as 
  Permian. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  Stonier 
  observed 
  that 
  in 
  New 
  South 
  Wales 
  Glossopteris 
  

   is 
  characteristic 
  of 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  of 
  the 
  productive 
  Coal- 
  

   Measures. 
  While 
  on 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  staff, 
  he 
  spent 
  two 
  

   years 
  with 
  Prof. 
  David 
  in 
  the 
  Farley 
  and 
  West 
  Maitland 
  districts, 
  

   where 
  strata 
  with 
  workable 
  coal-seams 
  are 
  sandwiched 
  between 
  

   marine 
  beds 
  considered 
  by 
  De 
  Koninck 
  and 
  others 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  Car- 
  

   boniferous 
  or 
  Permo-Carboniferous 
  age. 
  Not 
  only 
  is 
  the 
  section 
  

  

  2a 
  2 
  

  

  