464 THE TERTIARY FLORA OF AUSTRALIA, 



The general result of the investigation so far has been to 

 throw the greatest distrust on the theory of the "Cosmopolitan 

 Flora," which is, briefly stated, this, that the Tertiary Floras 

 of different countries contained the same types and were 

 closely allied and resembled one another much more than 

 the Tertiary Flora of any particular country resembles its 

 existing flora. In the recent period the floras of different regions 

 have acquired their distinctive characters, due chiefly to 

 climatic influences, and the old types which at one time were 

 universally distributed have disappeared in some regions and not 

 in others. Thus with regard to Eastern Australia, the Tertiary 

 Flora is said to contain representatives of the existing floras of all 

 other parts of the world now absent from Australia, and in like 

 manner the Tertiary Flora of other parts of the world, as, for 

 example, Europe, contains, it is asserted, representatives of genera 

 and orders such as Eucalyptus, C ' asuarina, Leptomeria, Exocarpus, 

 Proteacece, &c, which are now practically confined to the Aus- 

 tralian region, or in the case of Proteacece, to Australia and South 

 Africa. 



The theory has worked a great deal of harm. It has been 

 published in text books as an undisputed scientific truth, and the 

 fact is lost sight of that it exists only in the opinion of a certain 

 school, among whom are to be counted those who, not having time 

 to investigate the matter themselves, look upon the statements 

 of Ettingshausen as sufficient authority to encourage them in their 

 belief; while other botanists and palaeontologists equally entitled to 

 respect look upon the evidence adduced in its favour as altogether 

 unconvincing. One need only study Zittel's "Palseophytologie" to 

 find upon what shaky foundation the determination of the 

 Australian types in European Tertiary beds rests, and it is 

 therefore all the more lamentable to see in text books of highest 

 repute such statements as that in Eocene times forests of 

 Eucalypts waved in England and that the vegetation was largely 

 of an Australian character, while on the other hand in Australia 

 during the Tertiary Period forests of oak and beech flourished. 



