THE FUNCTION AND FIELD OF GEOGRAPHY. 393 



Government, still in the country between Punta Arenas and the Eio 

 Negro we have much to learn, while on the west coast range, with its 

 innumerable fjord-like inlets, its islands and peninsulas, there is a fine 

 field for the geologist and i)hysical geographer. Indeed, throughout 

 the whole range of the Andes systematic exploration is wanted, explora 

 tion of the character of the excellent work accomplished by Whymper 

 in the region around Chimborazo. There is an enormous area lying to 

 the east of the northern Andes, and including their eastern slopes, 

 embracing the eastern half of Ecuador and Colombia, southern Vene- 

 zuela, and much of the country lying between that and northern 

 Bolivia, including many of the upper tributaries of the Amazon and 

 Orinoco, of which our knowledge is of the scantiest. Even the coun 

 try lying between the Rio Negro and the Atlantic is but little known. 

 There are other great areas in Brazil and in the northern Ohaco which 

 have only been partially described, such as the region whence the 

 streams forming the Tapajos and the Paraguay take their rise, in Mato 

 Grosso. A survey and detailed geographical and topographical descrip- 

 tion of the wbole basin of Lake Titicaca is a desideratum. In short, 

 in South America there is a wider and richer field for exploration than 

 in any other continent. But no mere rush through these little-known 

 regions will suffice. The explorer must be able to use his sextant 

 and his theodolite, his compass, and his chronometer. Any expedi- 

 tious entering these regions ought to be able to bring back satisfactory 

 information on the geology of the country traversed, and of its fauna 

 and flora, past and present; already the revelations which have been 

 made of the past geography of South America and of the life that 

 flourished there in former epochs are of the highest interest. Moreover, 

 we have here the remains of extinct civilizations to deal with, and 

 although much has been done in this direction, much remains to be 

 done, and in the extensive region already referred to, the physique, the 

 traditions, and the customs of the natives will repay careful investiga- 

 tion. 



The southern continent of Australia is in the hajids of men of the 

 same origin as those who have developed to such a wonderful extent 

 the resources of Canada and the United States, and therefore we look 

 for equally satisfactory results so far as the characteristics of that con- 

 tinent permit. The five colonies which divide among them the 3,000,000 

 square miles of the continent have each of them efficient government 

 surveys, which are rapidly mapping their features and investigating 

 their geology. But Australia has a trying economic problem to solve. 

 In none of the colonies is the water supply quite adequate; in all are 

 stretches of desert country of greater or less extent. The center and 

 western half of the continent is covered by a desert more waterless 

 and more repellent than even the Sahara; so far as our present knowl- 

 edge goes one-third of the continent is uninhabitable. This desert area 

 has been crossed by explorers, at the expense of great sufferings, in 



