Mines and Mineral Statistics, 
lOI 
Scam. jS^o, 3, — Tliis scam has a thickiies=i of -I feet 9 inclies, Avitli a 
3-incli parting;, leavint^ -1 f'l'ot (> iiiclu's of coal. 
It is ratlicr a brighter ami more tender coal ilwm llte olliers, aiulAvill 
probably be found well adapted for lumseliold purposes. 
It occ-urs at a lieight of about 7(5 feet above llie seam No. 2, or fi feet 
i) in. bed, wliilo tliat in turn is about 118 feet above the seam No. 1 
or 17 feet 0 in bed. 
Clay band No. 1 is situated some 12 feet above tliis No. 3 seam or 
4 feet 0 in. bod, and tlie otlier two clay bauds are a little higher 
still. 
One of the scams of coal crops out on the Mudgee Hoad al)out 2^ 
miles distant, but as I did not take the levels this requirc's confir- 
mation. This seam is worked, apparently on no large seale, hy levels 
driven in from the road side, 
Limestone. 
Limestone. — lletAvoen the iron ore deposits and the coal seam out- 
crops there is seen an outcrop of limestone abutting against Devonian 
or Upper Silurian slates. Both tlie slates and the limestone are here 
standing at a liigh angle. The limestone does not sIioav the dip so 
distinctly as the slatc.s, for the lines of bedding have been almost 
comjiletely ohlitorated, luit the dip appears to be about 75'’ to the cast- 
■ward, and llic strike nearly N. A S. 
At the junction of the two the limestone has evidently nndergono 
inucli disturbance and 1 Jinueh l)rocciated, and inebuies Avithiu it frag- 
ments of the slate. ISome of the included slate contains small crystals 
of iron pyrites disseminated through it. 
In colour the limestone is of a bluish-gn‘y or slate-colour, much 
veined Avilli Avhite calcite. The shite-colourcd portions break Avith a 
sliglit crystalline appearance, hut the calcite Amins show tlie rhombo- 
hcdral cleavage of tliat mineral on a large scale. 
Its extension can be traced for a long distance to tlic north. 
Not far from the small quarry wliicli lias been oiiened out iu this 
limestone on Brunt’s Creek, perliaps a liundred yards or so to the 
right hand after cro.ssing over the creek, there is the opmiing to a fis- 
sure in the limestone. On the surface, just IcAml Avith the ground, 
there is a small somcAvhat circular opening, surrounded and overgroAvu 
by grass and bushes — so much overgrowuthat it is almost completely 
hidden. This is probably the entrance to a cave in the limestone, tor they 
usually affoni no more indication of their presence than sucli a grass- 
grown aperture. The opening is only Avide miough to alloAV of 
n man loAVcring himself some four or Ha'c teet,^ but from tliat 
point a narroAV fissure can be seen to descend tor some depth. 
Diligent search might prove that there are otlier openings, and 
the caA'o to be of some extent— and there is of course a very tail* 
chance of its being found to contain animal remains ; so tliat J hope Mr. 
Winter, of WalleraAvang, -wlio pointed it out to me, Avill be induced to 
follow his discovery up. The narrowness of the o])ening is not at all 
unfavouralilo to tlie supposition that the cave may eventually ijrovc to 
be an extensive one, for A'ery few limestone caves present large and 
well-marked entrances. 
CaAms in limestone have usually had their origiii in fissures, through 
which water flows or at one time flowed : the AA'atcr at first sloAvIy per- 
