276 
Notices of Books. 
[April, 
the following interesting remark : — “ As in South America the 
Geological period, just before the creation of man, had the 
gigantic Megatherium to pre-figure the little sloths of the present 
day amongst the characteristic edentate group of mammals of 
the fauna of the same country, so the little native “ bears ” 
( Phascolarctos ) of Victoria in our day were preceded, at the 
same late Tertiary period, by equally huge animals of their same 
general marsupial type, as characteristic of the existing Aus- 
tralian fauna as the edentate is of that of South America. The 
Diprotodon of Australia, curiously enough, like the Megatherium 
of South American deposits, was obviously a feeder on the twigs 
and foliage of trees, like their diminutive representatives of 
modern times.” 
Among the fossils figured is Asterolepis ornata , which occurs, 
though rarely, in the Middle Devonian Limestones of the Buchan 
River, and is almost identical with specimens found in the 
Russian Old Red Sandstone. Upon the occurrence of this 
species Prof. McCoy remarks : — “ The great ganoid armour- 
plated fishes of the genus Asterolepis are amongst the most 
abundant and striking characteristics of the Devonian rocks of 
Russia, and it is certainly a most extraordinary circumstance to 
find them here in Australia in limestones of the same age, and 
accompanied by the corals and shells of the Plymouth and Eifel 
limestones of similar age, with which they are not known to 
occur in England or Germany, and which do not occur with 
them in the Russian beds.” 
As additional instances of the permanence of local type in 
Australia, both among plants and animals, may be cited the oc- 
currence, in the Pliocene Tertiary argillaceous strata at Dayles- 
ford, of Eucalyptus Pluti , the foliage of which is in size and 
shape almost identical with that of the living Eucalyptus globulus . 
Relics of gigantic extindf kangaroos, Macropus Titan and M. 
Atlas, are found in the newer Pliocene Tertiary, 25 feet below 
the surface, at a place called Duck Ponds. 
Several of the iron ores of Victoria have been analysed, and 
are considered valuable. Certain samples, from Lake Tyers and 
from Bonang, have been pronounced by an experienced English 
iron-master worth carriage from Melbourne into Shropshire. 
The reporter, however, thinks it doubtful whether even the best 
of the Vidforian iron ores would, in their crude state, pay for 
export to England, owing to the expense of land-carriage to the 
sea-board. 
The volume is illustrated with maps, diagrams, and plates, 
showing microscopical rock-sedtions, sedtions of strata, and views 
illustrative of the general charadter of the scenery. 
