VIU. INT1!0])UCT10N. 



tlicie is ^L•mu■;llly a liylil \nvv/.v tVuiii tlic S. (ir S.JlI. Tlitj lesiilt of ul).st_Tv;iti()ns 

 taken oil eighty-four days slio\v.s tliat on twenty-six tlays a deatl ealiu pievailetl ; 

 on thiity-two days a gentle S.E. wind; on lifteen days a 8. ov E. wind; on eleven 

 (lays wind N.W. or S.W. 



In South Australia tiie iiot winds are invariahly from the north, and this 

 gave rise to the, tlieory that the winds Ijocanie heated fioui passing over the dry 

 liot centre of the continent ; but liot winds in the centre are much rarer than in 

 the south. During neaily four njonths th(!i-e was not enough rain to wet a pocket 

 handkerchief, and it was never necessary to erect the tents. We always slept in 

 tlie open ail'. 



Climatic conditions have a marked inlluence on tlie animal life indigenous to 

 these regions, and h,i\'e led to the occurrence of some strange phenomena, wiiich 

 are dealt with in the Zoological Report. 



From the numl)er of fossil diprotodonts of gigantic size and strutiiit)us Ijirtls 

 rivalling in stature the New Zealand moa, wiiich have Ijeen found within the 

 limits of the Kremian region, it is evidtnit tlwit it \\m\ at one time a far heavier 

 and more constant rainfall and a more luxuriant vegetation, capable of sustaining 

 larger and slower-moving forms of animal life than at present. At Lake; Calla- 

 bonna, in the great salt Lake Eyre Ijasin, tlier(; ai'e hundreds of fossil skeletons of 

 these animals, some of wdiich have been successfully removed to the Adelaide 

 Museum. In that locality they are found most frequently on the surface of the 

 dry salt lake, and have been preserved by a natural coating of carbonate of lime; 

 Ijut I ha\e found their bones at a depth of twelve feet from the surface, at a place 

 GOO miles S.E. of the McDonnell Range. 



I have always felt that it was the duty of some one to obtain accurate 

 information as to the manners, customs, superstitions, etc., of the primitive races 

 which iidiabited tlie continent of Australia before the advent of Europeans, and 

 also to ol»tain by photography some faithful reproductions of their ceremonial 

 ilresses and general appearance before they ha-d come luuler the debasing induences 

 of the white man. And in tins matter we were most ably and generously assisted 

 liy Mr F. J. (fillen, who has had a, long experience among them and is himself an 

 expert photographer. The race is fast dying out, and there are very few tribes 

 left in their piimitive condition who have not been in contact with Europeans ; 

 these arc all coniined to the Eremiaii region. In this matter, thanks to the 

 assistance of Mr. Gillen, we have lieen signally successful, and liave ol»tained a 

 very large number of valuable photographs, some of them being of ceremonies and 

 rites which are very rarely witnessed by wliitc men, and have also obtained a mass 

 of rclial)le information as to their suj)erstitions and general custouis, copies of a 



