Mr. H. E. Blanford on the Plant-bearing Series of India. 411 



were considered to be our oldest Graptolite-bearing rocks, can only 

 be correlated with the Middle and Upper Arenigs of St. David's. 

 The Graptolites of the Arenig rocks of Shropshire and of more dis- 

 tant localities were also compared with those of St. David's. 



In the Llandeilo series of this district the Cladophora have now 

 for the first time been found, — a few speeies, with several species of 

 Hhabdophora, occurring at Abereiddy Bay in the Lower Llandeilo, 

 which alone has been carefully worked — there being much more to be 

 done in the Middle and Upper Llandeilo, from which very few species 

 of Graptolites have as yet been obtained. 



Some of the recently introduced terms, and altered or more definite 

 terminology, employed in the descriptions of the species were then 

 explained ; and the paper concluded with descriptions of all the 

 species of Graptolites, collected in the Arenig and Llandeilo rocks of 

 St. David's within the last few years, of which sufficiently perfect 

 specimens have been obtained, doubtful species being referred to in 

 an appendix. 



Forty-two species were described, belonging to the following genera : 

 — Didymograptus, Tetmgraptus, Clemagraptus (gen. nov.), Dicello- 

 graptus, Climacograptus, Diplograptus, PhyUograptus, Glossograptus, 

 and Trigonograptus (Rhabdophora) ; Ptilograptus, Dendrograptus, 

 Calhgraptus, and Dictyograptus (Cladophora). 



2. " On the Age and Correlations of the Plant -bearing series of 

 India, and the former existence of an Indo-Oceanic Continent." By 

 H. F. Blanford, Esq., F.G.S. 



In this paper the author showed that the plant-bearing series of 

 India ranges from early Permian to the latest Jurassic times, indi- 

 cating that, with few and local exceptions, land and freshwater con- 

 ditions had prevailed uninterruptedly. over its area during this long 

 lapse of time, and perhaps even from an earlier period. In the 

 early Permian there is evidence, in the shape of boulder-beds and 

 breccias underlying the lowest beds of the Talchir group, of a pre- 

 valence of cold climate down to low latitudes in India, and, as the 

 observations of geologists in South Africa and Australia would seem 

 to show, in both hemispheres simultaneously. "With the decrease of 

 cold the author believed the flora and Eeptilian fauna of Permian 

 times were diffused to Africa, India, and perhaps Australia ; or the 

 flora may have existed somewhat earlier in Australia, and have 

 been diffused thence. The evidence he thought showed that during 

 the Permian epoch India, South Africa, and Australia were con- 

 nected by an Indo-oceanic continent, and that the first two re- 

 mained so connected, with at the utmost some short intervals, up to 

 the end of the Miocene period. During the latter part of the time 

 this continent was also connected with Malayana. The position of 

 the connecting land was said to be indicated by the range of coral 

 reefs and banks that now exists between the Arabian Sea and West 

 Africa. Up to the end of the jSummulitic epoch, except perhaps 

 for short periods, no direct connexion existed between India and 

 Western Asia. 



