BY HENRY DEANE. 465 



It will be my endeavour to show that it is unnecessary to seek 

 outside Australia for the types of our fossil flora. Since writing 

 the Presidential Addresses referred to, a further study of the 

 subject has led to the conclusion that changes in range and 

 distribution of the Australian flora have taken place since 

 the Tertiary, and that consequently to some extent the 

 character of the vegetation has been modified. This is evident 

 from a casual inspection of the fossils from Vegetable Creek, 

 Gunning, Wingello, Bacchus Marsh, etc. The more luxurious 

 flora now confined to strips and patches of the coast must have 

 formerly spread over the table land, and there seems to have 

 been, during the period when these fossils were embedded, a 

 moister and perhaps warmer climate, one less liable to the severe 

 droughts that we have to endure at the present time. A differ- 

 ence in climate such as this would adequately account for what- 

 ever variation may have taken place in the character of the 

 vegetation. With advancing cold from the south and droughty 

 conditions from the west the more luxuriant flora would retreat 

 to the warmer and damper districts, and many species, genera 

 and perhaps orders might be completely killed out, especially in 

 the south. 



The flora of Australia has been shown to be composed of three 

 elements which are chiefly developed if not exactly predominant 

 in the sub-regions named by Professor Spencer Torresian 

 (northern and eastern), Bassian (south-eastern), and Eyrean 

 (central and western). The Torresian flora, which Mr. Hedley 

 calls Papuan, is more or less intimately connected through New 

 Guinea with the Malayan and South-eastern Asiatic flora; it 

 flourishes under conditions of warmth and moisture. It is looked 

 upon by Professor Tate as exotic in character and as belonging 

 properly to the Oriental Region. 



The conditions requisite for the Bassian element of the flora 

 seem to be moderation of temperature, if not actual cold, accom- 

 panied by damp. This element shows affinities with certain New 

 Zealand and South American plants, and is treated by Professor 

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