16 A. W. HOWITT ON THE PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY AND 
the extreme edge of the Omeo basin, where the country rises to 
form the watershed of the Limestone River. At this place I have 
noted what seems to be a gradual passage from coarse granite to 
gneiss, mica-schist, then to a wrinkled and glistening clay-slate, 
with a high dip to the eastward. 
At the Limestone River the rocks are seen to be dark-blue and 
yellowish clay-slates with narrow quartz veins, and bedded with 
them greyish crystalline limestone. This group of strata has a 
general dip to N. 85° W. at 60° to 70°. The crystalline limestones 
and marbles occasionally show indistinct traces of corals; but so far 
none have been identified. 
(¢) Granites—The granites of North Gippsland may be separated 
into two classes :— 
(a) Those which are the result of the perfect metamorphism of 
sedimentary strata; and, 
(6) Those which appear to have invaded, and partly absorbed and 
altered, sedimentary strata. 
Ican feel no doubt as to the origin of many of the granites which 
are seen alternating with the mica-schist and gneiss of Omeo. A 
series of rock-specimens can be collected there showing the finest 
shades of gradation from a true mica-schist to a true ternary granite, 
or to a quaternary granite, where the fourth constituent appears to 
be an amorphous green mineral. It is, however, quite possible that 
in some instances denudation of the schists may have laid bare 
granites belonging to the second division ; but on this point data are 
at present wanting. 
The second class of granites is met with in numerous localities. 
In examining generally the whole district where the Lower Palzo- 
zoic sedimentary rocks are visible, it will be seen that granites 
occur in various places, usually in the river-valleys or as basins of 
low hills surrounded by Silurian or younger strata (as at Bulgur- 
back, Dargo Flat, Neoyang, the Lower Tambo river, the Snowy River 
in its upper course, Deddick, the Genoa River, &c.), but are also some- 
times seen as hills or mountains protruding from among the strati- 
fied rocks, as at Mount Baldhead, the Forlorn Hope, at the sources 
of the Tambo and Buchan rivers, and many other places. In all 
these instances and, indeed, wherever I have met with granites in 
North Gippsland of this class, their present position, either in the 
valleys of rivers or as mountain masses, appears certainly to be due 
to denudation and erosion, subsequent to their invasion of Lower 
Paleozoic formations. 
Some of the broad features to be noted in respect to this class of 
granite I have already referred to. J may add further that the 
highly tilted Silurian strata are seen to dip down onto the granite, 
and to be there cut off either across the direction of dip or of strike ; 
but in following the general direction of strike of the Silurian strata 
across the granite, we find that the former recur with the same 
general direction of strike and dip as before. 
The passage from the sedimentary rocks to the granite varies both 
