The South Australian Naturalist. 
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of great discouragement, and it does seem that such unselfiish and 
valuable work deserves substantial recognition. It is understood 
that many interesting and illuminating articles contributed to The 
Journal are to be printed in book form, and It is hoped that these 
books will command a ready sale. 
EASTER CAMP AT FINNISS. 
I. GENERAL. 
By Wm. Ham. 
At Easter time our members visited the old town of Finniss 
or, as it was originally named, “Queen^s Own Town.” The region 
roundabout is, very interesting to the student of Physiography, as 
it is there that such a great area of country is covered with re- 
mains of the Great Ice Age of Permo-Carboniferous times which 
occurred from 16 to 30 million years ago. It seems strange not 
to see the familiar limestone, but Instead to have a browm sand- 
stone, quite unlike the stone to be seen elsewhere in our State, 
This in many places forms a free-stone and is easily, worked. 
The Bank of New South Wales in King William Street, Adelaide, 
is built of this stone, which has a very fine effect. Close inspec- 
tion of the building will show the way in which the weathering has 
brought out the grain of the stone. This is held by some to be 
indicative of the action of either Glaciers or of floating ice on the 
deposits as they were laid down In the shallow seas at the close 
of the period. (See Howchin, Proc. Roy. Soc. S.A., Vol. XXXIV., 
p.231). 
The River originates in springs on the side of Mt. Compass 
flowing thence in a very winding course first east then north, near 
Ashbourne turning to the south and flowing south and south east 
to join the Murray waters, in Lake Alexandrina about 10 miles 
north of Goolwa. 
The river flows in deep gorges through the highest and hardest 
rocks in the district (the Mount Observation Range) thus show- 
ing that the river itself was antecedent to the uplift. It now has 
all the characteristics of an incised meander. 
In the lower part of its course It flows through glacial material 
and fine sections of glacial beds may be seen. The somewhat 
porous nature of much of this material enables It to retain a pro- 
portion of the rainfall, which is later given out in springs thus 
maintaining a permanent flow in the river. Indeed some of the 
party found the flow in the river greater in April, after a dry sum- 
mer, than it had been on their former visit in January. Evidences 
ot occasional floods were seen in the debris left up to 10 feet above 
the normal height. The rush of the flood waters is not sufficient, 
however to destroy the submerged vegetation. 
