80 THE ORIGIN OF AUSTRALIA 
evolutionists, who seem to think every plant and animal 
must, like Ahaseurus, come from somewhere else. Even 
the poor Englishman used to be chased up into the Pamirs 
and called an Undivided Aryan: and Australia, being an 
island, could not possibly be allowed to score off her own 
bat. Yet why shouldn’t she ? 
91. I take it that, as the geological evidence shows, 
in or about Phocene times, Australia-Orientalis was again 
in land connection with Asia, via New Guinea (and perhaps 
Timor), and received plants and animals by that route. 
For the terrestrial mammals there was a vast new’ field, 
with no competitors save inoffensive lizards. It was an 
ideal land for the undisputed display of evolutionary force. 
But the new land was being converted into a veritable 
sand-bath, and though vegetation was plentiful, water was 
scarce and getting daily more capricious in its distribution, 
and being drained away by the Braystone. 
92. The immigrants had to adapt themselves to the 
strange conditions, or perish. Doubtless many succumbed. 
The remainder became modified, and throve amazingly— 
and I believe the Diprotodont type was then evolved. 
Animal life literally ran riot, as is evidenced by the colossal 
and bizarre remains of these primeval marsupials. But, 
as in every other case where there has been a sudden develop- 
ment, they overshot the mark. The giants could not hold 
their own, and speedily died out, leaving only our Old Man 
Kangaroo, to suggest his Titan forbears. 
93. Whether all the immigrants were placental and 
acquired marsupial habits, or whether some were already 
polyprotodont aplacentals, future research must determine. 
I incline to think both forms arrived, but hold the opinion 
very feebly, for there is weighty argument for the small 
marsupials which live in the extra-continental portions 
of the Region being rather gifts from ‘‘ Marsupialia,” than 
that they are the Trigonias and Lingulellas of the Class 
Mammalia. Be 
94. The gap between the placentals and aplacentals 
is being rapidly closed in: and nut as the Darwinian expected 
by making them the lowly promise of higher forms, but by 
placing them on an independent and co-equal base, as the 
latest of the new, and not the last of the old covenant. 
