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PROCEEDINGS OE SECTION C. 
The position of the highlands which formed a gathering-ground 
for the glaciers is a question of great importance. They lay 
undoubtedly to the south, and possibly were part of a former great 
Antarctic continent since submerged. The fact of the northerly motion 
of this ancient ice-sheet would seem to lend considerable support to 
the arguments for an “ Antarctica,” adduced from the geographical 
distribution of certain plants and animals which have been consider- 
ably discussed of late years. 
In this connection it is instructive to note the great development of 
conglomerates of supposed Devonian Age — containing stones at least 
2 feet in diameter — occurring in the West Coast liange of Tasmania, 
The older rocks of Victoria are fine-grained, and must have been laid 
down for the most part in deep water, while the nature of this 
conglomerate indicates its former deposition in shallow water, thus 
pointing to probable highlands to the south of Victoria. 
Although the direction of the ice-sheet that first advanced over 
this country was from the southwards, yet it does not follow that all 
of the foreign rock-material found in the glacial beds came from this 
direction. Some of the quartzites and sandstones hear a striking 
resemblance to similar rocks outcropping in the West Coast Kange, 
Tasmania, as observed by us near Mount Lvell. Especially may be 
mentioned a hard blue quartzite, and also a pink variety. 
Mr. A. W. Howitt, F.G.S., who has examined the valuable 
collection of rocks from the glacial beds at Derrinal, made by Mr. 
Hollingsworth, is of opinion that very few, if any, of these rocks are 
to be found in situ south of Derrinal ; and lie suggests that the 
jasperoid rocks of East Gippsland may have furnished the jaspers 
which aro so abundaut in the Derrinal beds. 
It is quite possible that during the great Permo-Carboniferous 
Ice Age parts of the Great Divide at least nourished local glaciers 
from which icebergs were shed into either a glacial lake or the sea ; 
and thus, while it seems probable that the great bulk of the material 
came from the south, it may also be that rocks from the north-east 
and east were also deposited into the glacial beds accumulating in the 
district described by us. 
There is some reason to doubt whether true till or boulder-clay 
exists in the district. There are certainly beds lying directly above 
the scored Silurian rocks very like in appearance to till ; but when 
similar beds are found lying above stratified mudstone which presents 
none of those evidences of disturbance which, according to the received 
theory of the origin of till, we should expect to find, it seems prema- 
ture to conclude that the beds in question are true till. At the same 
time, if the generally accepted theory be correct, it would be rather 
remarkable if we should nowhere find the till. Except a fragment or 
two of slate and a few quartz pebbles, none of the material in the 
glacial series resembles, so far as we knew at present, any rock found 
in situ in the district — a circumstance which is decidedly against the 
till theory. 
As to the various conditions under which the different glacial 
beds were deposited, we do not propose to enter at any length on the 
present occasion. 
