14 XXXII. Dr. J. V. Daneš: 



And wliat were the climatic conditions of north east Australia 

 during the late tertiary? 



The relief of the country was very low, the continent extended 

 much farther to the east than now, the (Jarpentaria gulf covered a 

 broad margin of the présent coastal plain ; two bays extended from 

 the south farther to the north than at présent. One, where now the 

 Eucla cliffs drop down to the ocean, the other in the lower Murray 

 basin. The conditions changed very much since those times, the uew 

 relief, strongly developed on the pacifie side changed deeply espe- 

 cially the distribution of rain and moisture and thus exercised an 

 important influence upon the organic life of the continent, especially 

 upon the character of the flora. The différence between the tertiary 

 climate and the présent one is due to the différent configuration of 

 the country, to an other extension of the land and the sea, but not 

 to a change of the generál climatic conditions — for which, at least, 

 we hâve no direct proofs. 



We have no possibility to aeeept, that in those times the Austra- 

 lian tropics and subtropics got rain through the whole year, that 

 they had no prolonged dry season, that the generál climatic conditions 

 were those of the moist tropics or of the temperate climate with 

 rain in all seasons. We can reasonably suppose that about the same 

 amount of moisture has been brought by the prevailing winds from 

 the sea to the land during a rainy season of about the same dura- 

 tion as now, only the distribution of its condensation has been of quite 

 a différent character. There were no high mountain barriers which 

 would have Condensed the moisture near the coast and deprived the 

 interior of its benefits. 



The winds were sweeping much more freely above the almost 

 level country and distributed the moisture in the rainy season far 

 more equally than now. The inland basins got much more water in 

 the rainy season, than they get now and in the outletless basins shal- 

 low lakes were formed, more or less completely drying out in some 

 especially prolonged dry season. Great number of such lakes over a 

 vast area far into the interior had also a favourable influence upon 

 the climate, the evaporation in vast shallow basins giving new mois- 

 ture to the atmosphère, which during the dry season got very little 

 moisture from the sea. 



Such „improved" climatic conditions were not sufficient, however, 

 to maintain such long and extensive river Systems, like those, which 

 Mr. Taylor and Mr. Hedley do assume — we have nowhere in the 



