53 
\ 
,lthat the formation must attain a thickness of at least 3,000 
I feet, which, of course, would leave room enough for the 
s intercalation of coal seams. The carbonaceous markings on the sand- 
stones point to a certain amount of plant life, and it is possible that 
"during the period represented by this formation, plants may have 
; accumulated sufficiently to form seams of coal. It is unnecessary to 
-add that the occurrence of a coal-field might exercise a great influence 
on the future of the Possession/’ 
5. Strickland River Shales. — The Strickland River is an im- 
portant tributary of the Fly, which it joins neat the eighth parallel of 
latitude, and was explored in 1885, and was named after the late Sir 
Edward Strickland, K.C.B., the President of the Society which 
despatched the expedition. 
A series of specimens collected by the Naturalist of the party, Dr. 
Haacke, at a spot 75 miles above the confluence of the Strickland and 
the Fly Rivers, among them a series of indurated fossiliferous cal- 
careous shales. These Mr. Robert Etheridge, Junior, examined and 
recognised the following ammonites : — 
Stephanoceras , allied to *S. lamellosus . 
„ „ „ blagdeni . 
,, ,, ,, calloviensis. 
and an ammonite allied to Ammonites lingulatus . 
These observations demonstrate the occurrence of strata some- 
where in the watershed of the Strickland, which correspond homotaxi- 
ally with strata of Oolitic Age, and possibly on the horizon of the Upper 
Oolites. 
6. Tauri Limestones. — In 1893, at a spot on the Tauri River 
lying to the east of the Purari, and 29 miles from the coast, the 
Administrator collected a fossiliferous limestone, in which the coral 
Heliolites porosa was detected. 1 his observation indicates the occur- 
rence of beds of Devonian Age in the locality. Unfortunately no 
further particulars as to these beds are obtainable. 
7. Metamorphic Rocks, Crystalline Schists, etc. — The 
metamorphic rocks and crystalline schists, which are presumed to be 
of Archaean Age, form the axis of the mountain chain of New Guinea, 
and are contii uous through the islands of the D’Entrecasteaux and the 
Louisiade Groups. An immense area, extending for a few miles back 
from Port Moresby, nearly to the eighth parallel of south latitude (the 
German frontier), is occupied by these crystalline and metamorphic 
rocks Another large area occurs on the mainland to the east at 
Mount Suckling. The greater part of the intervening district, and, in. 
deed, probably the greater part of the highland interior of the Posses. 
