BY LOFTUS HILLS, M.B.E., M.SC. 125 



perseverance of Mr. H. H. Scott that we owe the excavation 

 and preservation of these skeletons. To the same worker 

 belongs the credit of first describing the Nototheimim tas- 

 Tnaniciivi, which is accomplished at length in Geological Sur- 

 vey Record No. 4. The original skeleton has been mounted 

 by Mr. Scott, and is now to be seen in the Victoria Museum, 

 Launceston. 



During the past year the second Nototheriuni was dis- 

 covered, and this has been determined as Nototherium 

 mitchelli. H. H. Scott and Clive Lord have already presented 

 preliminary notes on this skeleton before the Royal Society 

 of Tasmania, and a complete description, as well as the 

 mounting of the specimen, is in progress. 



The discovery of these two skeletons and their immediate 

 study and description have effected a distinct advance of 

 knowledge of the Nototheria in general. 



Another important discovery of marsupial remains was 

 made in King Island. The remains are fragmentary, but 

 sufficient has been found to allow of the recognition by H. H. 

 Scott of the giant kangaroo — Palorchestes. Further work 

 remains to be carried out in this direction. 



It is very evident from the above resume of palaeontologi- 

 cal investigations that the Geological Survey itself has done 

 very little in the palgeontological branch of geology. This is 

 only to be expected when it is remembered that the raison 

 d'etre of the Geological Survey is the necessity of intensive 

 study of our ore deposits, and the demand is for investiga- 

 tions-having an obviously practical value. The significance 

 of the role played by palaeontology in all geological investiga- 

 tions is not realised by the great majority of mining men, 

 and consequently the palasontological work essential to our 

 studies in economic geology is carried out more or less sur- 

 reptitiously, and, in the non-provision of a palseontologist 

 on the staff, is mostly accomplished by taking advantage of 

 the keenness and good nature of palaeontologists belonging 

 to other institutions and other States. 



V. STRUCTURAL GEOLOGY. 



Much light has been thrown on the tectonics of Tasmania 

 during the period under review. The definite fixing of the 

 stratigraphical succession has materially assisted in de- 

 nphering the structural geology of certain areas, and it is 

 now possible to form a broad general conception of the tec- 



