132 THE OCCURRENCE OK (ilGANTIC MARSUPIALS IN TASMANIA. 



The fact that in Tasmania the gigantic marsupials 

 occur together with the recent molluscan fauna and the 

 recent flora is of the greatest importance with regard to 

 the determination of the age of these animals in Australia. 



On the authority of the late Professor Tate, the beds 

 which contained the remains of Diprotodon australis in 

 Lake Callabona (S.A.) were declared to be of pliocene age. 

 ] have not been able to ascei-tain how Tate arrived at his 

 view of the age. Professor Stirling found only one species 

 of mollusca, viz., Potamopyrgus spec, and some specimens 

 of plant remains, two of which could be identified with liv- 

 ing species. I almost presume that for no other reason than 

 because they contained the remains of extinct animals 

 these beds were considered as Pliocene, as they were un- 

 doubtedly younger than those Tate considered as Eocene 

 and Miocene. Tate's views as to the age of the tertiary 

 beds in Australia are, however, no longer tenable. The 

 Eocene disappears entirely, and most of the strata he 

 thought to be of Eocene age have to be considered as Mio- 

 cene ; in fact, if not of still younger age. I cannot enter here 

 into the discussion of tbis question; all I can say is that 

 Tate's view of the pliocene age of the Diprotodon beds is 

 not supported by unshakable palseontological evidence. 

 Whatever their age may bo, in Tasmania the Nototherium 

 occurs in beds that, without doubt, are of post-glacial age. 



In view of the above fact, it is remarkable to note that 

 as far back as 1892 Jack and Etheridge (10) have ex- 

 pressed a similar view with regard to the remains of Dipro- 

 todon in Queensland. On page 608 the authors say : — "On 

 the other hand^ in Queensland there is no evidence that 

 they went back to the tertiary epoch, although it is quite 

 possible that thev did. Such direct evidence as we have, 

 consisting of the association of the mammalia with fresh 

 water and land shells of species still living, would lead to 

 the conclusion that the former (viz., the gigantic marsu- 

 pialia) were in the Queensland area, confined to the post- 

 tertiary deposits." 



If the authors, however, state that "There is abundant 

 evidence to show that in the southern colonies the extinct 

 mammalia existed in pliocene times," I am afraid that 

 they were somewhat influenced by Tate's views. I do not 

 deny that it is possible that the gigantic marsupials first 

 appeared in pliocene beds, but the evidence on the strength 



(10) The Geology and Palaeontology of Queensland and New Guinea, 

 1892, pag. 608. 



