62 The South Australian Naturalist. 



obtained in the gold-bearing- gravels below the newer basalt 

 flows. There are other items of evidence that need not be 

 detailed, but we may mention also the fossils of the Wellington 

 Valley Caves in New South Wales, Avhere the fossil remains of 

 the diprotodon, the dingo, and man have been found in the 

 same deposit. This is strong evidence for the co-existence of 

 these three animals at an extremely remote time, but the evi- 

 dence that man or dingo was here before or during the last vol- 

 canic period is not conclusive. Those interested should consult 

 the writings of the late Mr. R. Etheridge, jun. (Bulletins of the 

 Australian Museum, Sydney, 1890), Prof. R. W. Gregory (Proc. 

 Roy. Soc, Vic, 1904), and Chapman's "Australian Fossils." 



Mr. Etheridge also published an interesting paper (in 1916 

 or thereabouts) on "The Warrigal or Dingo: native or intro- 

 duced." Although the name warrigal or warragal is preferred 

 to dingo by some writers, I noticed recently that in Tench's 

 "Botany Bay," published as early as 1789, we find: "The only 

 domestic animal the aboriginals have is the dog, which in their 

 language is called dingo." The earliest explorers into the 

 Australian interior also record that the aboriginal camps w^ere 

 always frequented by the dingo. The point referred to by 

 Mr. McGilp, re the dingo entrenching itself in the earth during 

 the heat of summer, is of great interest, but it cannot explain 

 the association of dingo and marsupial remains in the Gisborne 

 Cave (Vic), the Wellington Valley Cave (N.S.W.), and other 

 occurrences. To conclude this somewhat rambling note on 

 Mr. McGili)'s letter, it may be stated that: 



(a) The dingo did not evolve in Australia, but came from 



some other land ; 



(b) It arrived at a time extremely remote from the pre- 



sent, and lived contemporaneously Avith the dipro- 

 todon, nototherium, and other extinct marsupials; 



(c) There is a high probability that the dingo came with 



aboriginal man; 



(cl) Evidence on these matters is of very great interest to 

 biologists, and more seekers are required, especi- 

 ally in our out-back districts, so that any evidence 

 found (fossil bones, cave deposits, etc.) may be 

 brought before the ])roper authorities. The har- 

 vest is great, but the laborers are few. 



