On the physiography of Northeastern Australia. 15 



world any example that under such a climate and such a relief of 

 the country the rivers would not waste the fall, that they would not 

 meet final stagnation ! Only exceptionally strong streams fed from 

 areas with very heavy and perennial rains do succeed to inaintain 

 their existence through extensive flats in such climatic zones, which 

 hâve a true dry season ! 



The peneplain of Eastern Australia was hydro- 

 graphically divided into a great number of indepen- 

 dent outletless basins with shallow lakes many of 

 which were drying out in long rainless season s. The 

 physiography ofthe eastern part of the continent was 

 much similar to the présent landscape on the Divi- 

 ding Plateau, where the outletless shallow basins of 

 lake Buchaná n, lake Galilée, Webb's lagoon etc. hâve 

 been prese rved. 



The climatic conditions were much more favourable to the de- 

 velopment of a more diversifiecl and more succulent flora and of a 

 fauna of great marsupials. 



For the corroboration of the views hère expressed I may give 

 only some quotations ; which clearly point to very similar if not iden- 

 tical, conclusions. 



On the Darling Downs superficial deposits are found with bones 

 of the huge marsupials and they called attention of Leichhardt and 

 Gregory, who gave the following interprétation. 



Dr. L. Leichhardt 1 ) says (Page 2. — 3.) „These plains (on the 

 Condamine), so famous for the richness of their pasture, and for the 

 excellency of the sheep and cattle depastured upon them, hâve be- 

 come equplly remarkable as the dépositaires of the remains of extinct 

 species of animais, several of which must hâve been of a gigantic 

 size, being the Marsupial représentatives of the Pachydermal order 

 of other continents." 



„At Isaacs' Creek, they occur together with récent freshwater 

 shells of species still living in the neighbouring ponds, and with marly 

 and calcareous concrétions; which induces me to suppose that these 

 plains were covered with large shelts of water, fed probably by calca- 

 reous Springs connected with the basaltic range, and huge animais, fond 

 of water, were living, either on the rieh herbage surrounding these 



\) Journal of an overland expédition in Australia, from Moreton Bay to 

 Port Essington, a distance of upwards of 3000 miles, during the years 1844—45. 

 London 1847 



