310 



OSSEOUS BRECCIA OF NEW HOLLAND. 



The occurrence of the bones of quadrupeds in the clefts or fis- 

 sures of rocks, intermixed with fragments of the rock, and cemented 

 with them into a kind of breccia, is very common in many of the cal- 

 careous rocks adjoining the Mediterranean sea. The osseous brec- 

 cia of Gibraltar is well known : the calcareous matter which has 

 been infiltrated into the fissures, and forms the cement, has general- 

 ly a reddish colour, and contains so much phosphoric acid, from the 

 decomposition of animal matter, as to become luminous in the dark 

 when scraped. The bones in the fissures surrounding the Mediter- 

 ranean, belong chiefly to herbivorous quadrupeds ; but they are 

 sometimes intermixed with marine shells, indicating a great change 

 in the level of the rocks subsequent to the filling of the fissures. 



Osseous breccia, similar to that in Europe, has been recently dis- 

 covered by Major Mitchel, in the rocks bordering Wellington Valley, 

 in New Holland. The breccia contains bones and fragments of rock, 

 with the same red calcareous cement as the osseous breccia of Gib- 

 raltar, &ic. 



According to the examination of Cuvier and Mr. Penlland, some 

 of the bones belong to different species of the kangaroo, and animals 

 of the same genera that exist in New Holland ; but others belong to 

 species hitherto unknown to naturalists. Among these bones there 

 are the remains of a species of elephant : a fact extremely interest- 

 ing, as it proves that, in the ancient condition of the globe, this part 

 of its surface supported animals more analogous to those of Asia and 

 Africa, than any which existed upon it when first discovered by 

 Europeans. In the report to the Geological Society of France, 1831, 

 it is observed — "Thus we have in New Holland, a deposition of os- 

 seous breccia and caverns, similar to those of Europe. Were these 

 depositions cotemporary^ This is not very probable ; at different 

 epochs the analogy has consisted in the mode of formation ; many 

 different catastrophes may have destroyed the great animals of the 

 Ohia, of the Irrawadi, of the north and central parts of Europe, and 

 of Australia, and buried their bones in fissures and caverns, or in beds 

 of clay and gravel. But whatever was the epoch of the deposition 

 in New Holland, the organization of animal life was then, in a great 

 part, the same as at present ; since we find in the osseous breccia, 

 the types of that class of animals that are still peculiar to the coun- 

 try, but always accompanied by bones of genera, (the mastodon and 

 elephant,) which are altogether unknown there." 



The depositions of calcareous earth pendant from the roofs of cav- 

 erns, called stalactites, and those upon the floors of caverns, called 

 stalagmites, are formed by the evaporation of water, holding calca- 

 reous earth in solution. A drop of water, in evaporating, deposits a 

 pellicle of limestone? which is increased by succeeding depositions, 



