554 MR. D. DRAPER ON THE GEOLOGY [Nov. 1 894, 



especially near Pietermaritzburg, they die away completely north- 

 ward, and disappear before reaching the Pongolo River. About 

 10 miles south of the Pongolo, they occur underlying the Doembe 

 Mountain, but are only about 50 feet thick at that place. I failed 

 to find any trace of this series north of the Pongolo. 



(6) Ecca Beds. 



Apparently this group is identical with the ' Pietermaritzburg 

 Shales ' of Dr. Sutherland. 



A most characteristic section occurs near the town of Pieter- 

 maritzburg, where the beds are more than 2000 feet thick ; and the 

 whole of Natal westward of this town, up to the Klip River, besides 

 a large portion of Zululand, is composed of these Ecca Beds. They 

 thin out rapidly northward, disappearing near the Pongolo River ; 

 and they do not reappear in Swaziland, lying to the north. 



The Ecca Beds consist principally of dark-coloured shales and 

 fine-grained sandstones. I could not trace any signs of contortion 

 in them along their eastern outcrop ; and I feel little doubt that it 

 is conformable to the underlying ' Dwyka Conglomerate.' 



(7) Dwyka Conglomerate. 

 (' Glacial Boulder-clay ' of Dr. Sutherland.) 



Some exceedingly fine sections of ' Dwyka Conglomerate ' are 

 exposed in the deeper gorges of the Terrace, where crags of this 

 rock occur, over 700 feet in height, showing distinct lines of strati- 

 fication and unmistakable evidence of the aqueous deposition of the 

 material constituting this rock. 



The characteristics of the conglomerate noticed by Mr. E. J. 

 Dunn and Prof. A. H. Green, and so well described by them as 

 occurring in Cape Colony, are equally distinct in South-eastern 

 Africa, and a description of this rock in one part of the country 

 will answer for any other part. 



But I have failed to find any signs of contortion or crumpling 

 of this series along its eastern outcrop, where it is found lying 

 horizontal. Nearer to the coast, however, it has been disturbed, 

 together with all the overlying strata, by the great fault occurring 

 there, and is consequently found dipping seaward, outside of the 

 line of faulting, and considerably lower than on the inner side of 

 the fault. 



I have not yet succeeded in finding any traces of ice-scratching 

 or grooving in this series, or on the boulders contained in the body 

 of the rock ; but ripple-marking is frequently met with, and the 

 whole appearance of the rock suggests the action of water. A small 

 patch of horizontal Dwyka Conglomerate containing very few pebbles 

 or boulders, but very much ripple-marked, occurs on the coast-belt 

 in Zululand and Swaziland, about 800 feet above sea-level, and at 

 least 1000 feet lower than the main body of the conglomerate along 

 the flank of the Terrace. 



