186].] 
Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 
179 
f.ssils acknowledged to be of the same age as the lower oolite of 
England : that these Bajmahal beds were therefore, certainly as 
old as, probably older than, the lower oolites, and that further 
these Bajmahal beds were separated by a very large interval from 
the Damuda beds, which latter would consequently be considerably 
lower. Other evidence, all tending to the same conclusions, was also 
given. Up to that time (February 1860) the only animal organic 
remains we had found, was as elsewhere noticed, a single elytron of 
a beetle. But while that paper was actually passing through the 
press, Mr. W. Blanford had made a most interesting and most im- 
portant discovery of Beptilian remains, imbedded in rocks above all 
the true Coal measures of the Baniganj field, and separated from 
them by an unconformity. To this group of rocks he had subse- 
quently given the name of Panchet. These remains afforded im- 
mense aid in determining the age of the beds. The uncertainty 
which hangs over fossil evidence depending only on vegetable 
remains is well known, and this uncertainty is increased a thousand- 
fold, when the fossil flora of one district is to be compared with 
that of another separated from it by half the surface of the globe. 
When Mr. Blanford in February I860, first announced this dis- 
covery, and gave him a brief description of the fossils, Mr. O. at once 
replied, requesting him to look carefully at them, for that his brief 
notice appeared to indicate that he had met with Dicynodon remains. 
Mr. 0. left Calcutta shortly afterwards, before these fossils had been 
fully opened out, having only seen a few of them which did not prove 
to be Dicynodont, as he had anticipated, but Labyrintliodont amphibia. 
On his return, however, towards the close of the year he soon per- 
ceived on an examination of the whole collection, which had mean- 
while been cleaned out, that his first speculations were correct, and 
that there were some well marked Dicynodon remains. 
It was well known that this group of reptiles had never hitherto 
been found out of South Africa ; and on a reference to the paper he 
had alluded to above, it would be seen that he had in it indicated the 
marked analogy which he believed to exist between these Dicynodont 
Strata of South Africa, and some of our beds in India ; a belief, at 
that time, based solely on the character of the vegetable remains, 
but which was thus strongly, and most unexpectedly confirmed by 
this discovery of Beptilian remains of the same character also. 
2 A 
