THE GEELONG NATURALIST 13 
might with propriety be regarded as connecting the Moorabool River 
deposits with the fossiliferous clays and sands of Curlewis and Belmont. 
rom the contour of the cliffs it appears to bea not unreasonable supposition 
that water channels from the Moorabool Valley once found an outlet on the 
Western beach, such channels being now filled up with drift sand and 
gravel. In this gravel, bones of extinct mammals have been found, and it 
is thus probably equivalent in age to the Limeburners' Point limestone. 
The section at the last named locality reads thus. On the top of the hill 
is a rich dark brown loam, underneath which the quarries in the pliocene 
fresh water limestone are situated—that the limestone is pliocene was 
decided on the strength of some fossil bones obtained, which were described 
by Professor Sir Frederick MeCoy. At the foot of the hill on the north- 
west side of the quarries, and about 100 yards from the women's bathing 
houses, this limestone shews itself in ragged blocks a little above high 
water mark, Underlying it is a thin layer of basalt, much decomposed,— 
this is only seen at low water, 
The Eocene shell bed on the Eastern beach was discovered by Mr 
Dennant and myself. It appears to underlie the basalt, but this cannot 
be asserted positively as only a very small portion is exposed. Some years 
since a shaft was sunk on the top of the hill about 200 yards north-west of 
this shell bed, and when near sea level the basalt was struck, but though I 
watched the sinking of the shaft very closely, I saw no signs of shells. I 
conclude, therefore, that the basalt is the same as that on the Westorn 
beach, though on a different level. The age of this basalt has been 
previously discussed. * 
The matrix of the fossils in the Eastern beach bed is a blue clay: 
exactly resembling that at Curlewis—in fact this resemblance first led us 
to suspect its fossiliferous nature. Unlike the Curlewis bed, however, the 
shells are exceedingly scarce, as well as very small, and it is only by care- 
ful washing of the material that fossils can be obtained from it. Un- 
fortunately the deposit has been since covered by sand, but enough has: 
been seen to allow of the theory that the waters of Corio Bay are con- 
tinuously underlain by Eocene shell beds. On the Western beach the matrix 
of the fossils, even in the mostargillaceous portion, is of a much more sandy and 
calcareous nature than in the Eastern beach section, the two deposits being 
in fact lithologically in marked contrast, though, as the list of fossils shews, 
they are palaeontologically similar. Shells are not easily obtained from the 
Western beach cliffs, many of them being so rotten as to fall to pieces 
directly they are touched. The material is, however, favorable for the 
preservation of corals, some of which, especially Balanophyllia armata, 
are very fine. Since the locality is so close to the town it has, notwith- 
standing the generally unpromising nature of the material, been in- 
dustriously worked by collectors. Given fine weather, the writer cam 
safely promise an enjoyable hour or two on the Western Beach, Geelong, 
to any enthusiastic collector, though he may not obtain either full boxes or 
many perfect specimens. 
* The Age of Basalts around Geelong. Geelong Naturalist, Vol, V., No. 2, Jan., 1896, 
