94 
PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  GEOLOGICAL  SOCIETY. 
[May  1893, 
that  either  fauna  or  flora  presents  any  modifications  due  to  severe 
cold.  In  other  words,  nothing  analogous  to  an  Arctic  or  sub-Arctic 
fauna  or  flora,  such  as  we  find  in  Pleistocene  times,  is  presented  to 
us  from  these  Upper  Carboniferous  beds.  The  evidence  in  favour  of 
glaciation  appears  to  be  of  a  purely  physical  nature,  and  rests 
mainly  on  the  frequent  presence  of  smoothed  and  striated  boulders 
in  the  midst  of  a  matrix  of  fine  silt. 
Mr.  David  is  equally  certain  that  in  New  South  Wales  there  are 
glacial  beds  of  Carboniferous  age ;  and  as  some  of  these  are  marine, 
the  glaciation  would  seem  to  have  extended  to  the  sea-level,  since 
we  are  told  that  nothing  but  ice-action  could  have  brought  these 
boulders  into  their  present  position.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
many  persons  in  New  South  Wales,  as  elsewhere,  are  content  to 
accept  these  appearances  as  evidence  of  glacial  action,  but  that 
is  not  quite  the  same  thing  as  the  establishment  of  a  Glacial 
Period  at  the  time  in  question.  Admitting  for  argument’s  sake 
that  ice-action  alone  could  have  produced  these  striations  and  dis¬ 
tributed  large  stones  in  the  midst  of  fine  silt,  it  must  at  least  be 
shown  that  the  glaciation  was  something  more  than  what  may  be 
expected  to  occur  in  the  vicinity  of  lofty  ranges  of  mountains 
which  have  been  recently  elevated. 
As  a  supplement  to  Mr.  David’s  paper  I  would  draw  attention 
to  a  Special  Peport  issued  by  the  Colony  of  Yictoria  and 
compiled  by  Mr.  Dunn,  with  reference  to  the  celebrated  ‘  Glacial 
Conglomerate  ’  at  Wild  Duck  Creek.1  The  chief  feature  of  this 
remarkable  publication  is  the  number  of  striking  photographs 
showiug  striated  boulders,  and  most  remarkable  of  all  are  the  photo¬ 
graphs  of  the  striated  bed-rock,  which  is  stated  to  be  of  Silurian  age. 
Dr.  Wallace  brought  this  publication  to  the  notice  of  Englisl: 
geologists  a  few  weeks  ago.2  He  considered  that  the  whole  of  the 
phenomena  of  Wild  Duck  Creek  point  unmistakably  to  glacial 
action.  Referring  subsequently  to  a  list  of  localities  in  Eastern 
Australia  where  similar  conglomerates  have  been  found,  though 
the  indications  of  glacial  action  are  not  specially  mentioned, 
Dr.  Wallace  remarks  that  u  if  these  deposits  are  really  all  glacial 
and  contemporaneous,  they  indicate  an  extent  of  glaciated  country 
that  would  imply  either  a  very  lofty  mountain  range  or  the 
occurrence  of  a  real  glacial  epoch  in  the  southern  hemisphere.” 
1  ‘Notes  on  the  G-lacial  Conglomerate,  Wild  Duck  Creek.’  By  E.  J.  Dunn, 
E.G.S.  Melbourne,  1892. 
2  ‘Nature,’  Not.  17th,  1892,  vol.  xlvii.  pp.  55,  56. 
