'57 
The geology of the tract of country between Bairns- 
dale and Bright presents many features of interest. We 
find near Bairnsdale, and throughout the area surrounding 
the lakes, upper tertiaries apparently of the same age as 
the marine beds at Flemingtou, the palaeontology of which 
lias been investigated by Professor McCoy. Next suc¬ 
ceeding these are marine beds with numerous fossils of 
the same character as those found at Curdie’s Creek (west 
of Cape Otway) and in a cliff between the Lakes Bullen- 
Merri and Gnotuk in the Western District. Mr. Ilowitt 
has examined these beds very carefully, he has collected 
a great many fossils, and he is of opinion that they are 
the equivalents of the middle tertiaries of the western 
parts of Victoria. 
Northward from the northern margin of the tertiaries 
we enter the great trough of siluriau rocks and meta- 
morphic schists. We have stated already the conclusions 
we have formed respecting these and the gneissose rocks, 
mica-schists, and granites with which they are associated, 
but we are bound in duty to add that a cursory examina¬ 
tion of them, such as we made, is not sufficient to enable 
us to give opinions of any great weight or value. Mr. 
Uowitt is now surveying, and mapping on the scale of 
forty chains to one inch, considerable areas in this part of 
the province, and we must wait for the results of his 
labors for a solution of many difficult questions discussed 
by us on our route. We saw some of the maps and 
sections in course of preparation by Mr. Howitt, and we 
are confident that this work could not be placed in better 
hands. As well as a “ good eye for country,” the capacity 
to class and correlate observations over a wide field, he 
has also a correct knowledge of the mineralogical com- 
