4 Anniversary Address. 



their exercise is made the amusement of leisure to a man in 

 high judicial position. 



Our associate Mr. Krefft, the able Curator of the Australian 

 Museum, has given a valuable catalogue of the Vertebrata of 

 Tasmania, including remains (partly fossibsed) of Halmaturus 

 Beneltii and PTialangisia fuliginosa, found by Mr. Wintle, of 

 Hobart Town, in the caves of Grlenorchy. Though they do not 

 exhibit any very great geological antiquity, yet they are of deep 

 interest when we consider that our Australian caverns contain 

 the mingled relics of extinct and living genera. Whatever may 

 have been the processes by which caverns were filled during the 

 Pleistocene epoch, it is clear that similar processes must have 

 been in operation during some part of the present epoch ; and 

 although no human remains have been found in Australasia 

 mixed with bones of mammalia, yet the Glenorchy caves in 

 Tasmania when further explored ; those discovered by Mr. Selwyn, 

 near Mount Macedon, in Yictoria ; the "Wellington Caves in this 

 colony, recently re-explored with much success by Mr. Krefft, and 

 those at Yesseba, near the Macleay Eiver, visited by Mr. Kudder, 

 may be found hereafter to be of like age with that at Engihoul, 

 near Liege, in Belgium ; or that of Bise, in France. The 

 osseous remains of extinct marsupials in the Darling Downs of 

 Queensland have often attached to them testacea (a case parallel 

 with that of B*se) of species still living in the creeks of that dis- 

 trict. It has long been known, that in the caves of this colony, 

 remains of Thylacinus of a species still living in Tasmania, but 

 here extinct, and also of a wombat (P. latifrons) now extinct in 

 this colony, but living in South Australia, are found with the 

 other relics. 



The processes of extinction must, therefore, have been gradual, 

 locally operating, yet affecting distant areas, and not always con- 

 temporaneously. It would seem also, that the separation of the 

 Australian Continent from Tasmania must have taken place in 

 the lifetime of still existing species, for the Thylacinus in question 

 was once common to both areas, aud these, therefore, must have 

 been connected. 



A grant of money was some time ago made by our Legislature 

 for the exploration of caves. It would be advisable if it were 



