2 
PALAEOZOIC FOSSILS. 
Emmerich, Merian, Yon Hauer, and others. This part of 
the collection was new to Indian geology, and therefore of 
paramount interest. The oolitic fossils (Lias, Oxford Cla} r , 
&c.) were not such novelties, as fossils of that date had been 
previously known in the Himalaya, and had also been describ¬ 
ed by Captain Grant from the Cutch district. 
With regard to* the Palaeozoic rocks of India, however, so 
little was known at the time of Colonel Strachey’s researches, 
that to have secured a fossiliferous base was a great stride in 
the geology of India. The list of genera furnished by myself 
to the paper above quoted sufficiently indicated the presence 
of a lower Silurian group, which, while its fossils agreed in 
general character with those of Europe, was quite distinct in 
species. This fact supplies another proof of the existence, at 
so early a date, of marine natural history provinces like those 
of the present day. The subdivision of the old ocean fauna, 
easily recognizable over many areas of Silurian rocks, becomes 
less conspicuous in the Devonian—the upper, part especially, 
and had become nearly obliterated in Carboniferous times. 
I shall, perhaps, have the opportunity, in the sequel, of add¬ 
ing a few words on this subject. 
From press of time, and numerous engagements, the des¬ 
criptions will, I fear, be far from complete. But it is, perhaps, 
hardly to be regretted that every fragment of an imperfect 
collection should not be described. It is of more use to indi¬ 
cate the genera, and figure the species. Some groups, how¬ 
ever, will admit of a little further illustration, and I begin 
with the Silurian base. 
I feel it is due to Colonel Strachey to say, that his share in 
the working out of the fossils is a large one. The collection 
was brought home numbered and catalogued, but still requir¬ 
ed months of patient work in breaking up and chiselling out 
the specimens. When finally arranged upon tablets, with 
localities, he placed them all in the colonial collections of the 
Museum of Practical Geology, and left me the more pleasant 
task of comparing and describing them. The Silurian species 
are all of them new. 
