468 THE TERTIARY FLORA OF AUSTRALIA, 



above that what is now the coast climate must have 

 extended further inland, and no doubt embraced the districts 

 from which the fossils are obtained. If any deposit derived from 

 the brush vegetation of the coast as it now exists could be pre- 

 served in the same way as the Vegetable Creek and Dalton 

 deposits, we should find Eucalyptus, Banksia, &c, only in a small 

 minority, as those types do not flourish in the "brush." Why, 

 then, should we expect to find them abounding in the Tertiary 

 Beds of Dalton and Vegetable Creek 1 



We now pass on to the consideration of proposition (d). 

 Ettingshausen maintains that Myrica, Betula, Alnus, Quercus, 

 Fagics and Salix are found and these are characteristic now of 

 Europe and North America. It is to be remarked that Quercus is 

 not only found in Europe and North America, but extends at the 

 present time to Africa, South America, the south and east of Asia, 

 the Philippines and Malay Archipelago, and even to New Guinea, 

 which is in the Australian region. Fayus has four representa- 

 tives at the present day in Eastern Australia and Tasmania, and 

 three in New Zealand, so that the selection of Quercus and Faytts 

 to prove the Baron's point is most unhappy. It may be mentioned 

 that Fayus is also just as much at home in Patagonia. It 

 remains to be seen whether the forms attributed to Myrica, 

 Betula, Alnus and Salix can be only such and nothing else. 

 Castanopsis, Cinnamomum, Tabernosmontana, Premna, Elceocarpus 

 and Dalbergia are said to point to East India and China. The 

 genus Cinnamomum has representatives at the present day in 

 Queensland and even New South Wales, and the so-called 

 characteristic Cin namomum venation is equally strongly developed 

 in certain species of Litsaia and Cryptocarya now growing in Queens- 

 land and New South Wales; Taberncemontana and Premna have 

 species in New South Wales and Queensland ; EUeocarpus has 

 many representatives at the present day in New South Wales; and 

 Dalbergia is represented in Queensland. There remains, therefore, 

 nothing but the alleged Castanopsis to prove this part of the 

 Baron's proposition. The question is, cannot this fossil be other- 

 wise explained than by referring it to Castanopsis ? Magnolia, 



