3q 
THE GEELONG NATURALIST. D 
what period the rocks belong. The particular rocks treated 
were those in the neighbourhood of Geelong. These are found 
to belong to the secondary and tertiary periods, with the excep- 
tion of a limited area of Silurian at Lethbridge, where a few 
graptolites have been found, which seem to locate it in the lower 
section of that deposit. The largest and least-known fossil 
rocks we have in this district, are those in the Barrabool and 
Cape Otway Ranges, there being diversity of opinion regarding 
these rocks, some authorities maintaining that they belong to 
the upper jurassic, and others, to the lower jurassic. As each 
division of the jurassic includes different and distinct forms of 
plant and other life, and. the fossils found at different points 
appear in most cases to belong to the upper division, it neces- 
sarily follows that the popular opinion classes these rocks as 
Oolitic, or upper jurassic. In searching for fossil plants in the 
ranges, the writer says he found the Taxites and Zamites prin- 
cipally in the upper bed, on the top of the hills, between 1000 
and 2000 feet above sea level. This is also the case at Barrabool 
and Bellarine. The older forms he obtained at Lorne, from the 
rocks on the Eskine River, and down near the beach. These 
rocks have been tested at various places to great depths. At 
Bellarine a bore was put down 1400 feet, showing thoughout 
the same kind of formation. At the bottom a layer of slatey- 
.coloved sandstone filled with vegetable impressions was met 
with, the rock being similar to that found along the coast at 
Lorne, the dip being about 28? E. by S. The writer has found 
pecopteris, sphenopteris, odontopteris, cyclopteris, neuropteris, 
zamites Barklyi, and longifolius, seed cone of à conifer, taxites 
gigas, etc. From a careful study of these rocks, i6 is concluded. 
that they may be safely placed as either lo wer Lias or upper Trias. 
THE SPECTROSCOPE. 
By S. ParznsoN, B.A. 
A most instructive paper on the Spectroscope was read before 
the Association at the Gordon College, on the evening of March 
15th. Itis impossible in our small space to do justice to the 
paper, so that only the merest outline can be given. The 
phenomenon of the decomposition of sunlight into the seven 
. colors of the rainbow is very familiar to most of us, butitis not 
so well known that in the hands of physicists and chemists the 
phenomenon has been utilized for the purpose of telling what 
elements exist in the sun and other heavenly bodies. 
Light, as we know, is the effect of the vibratory motion of an 
imponderable fluid which pervades all space, called ether, and 
these vibrations are propagated in waves, justas sound is by 
waves in air. We also know that the different colors are due/ u 
