423 



of physical geology and geography must continually hold 

 converse with the face of the earth itself. He must koow 

 it well in plan and in section. Like Antaeus of old, he must 

 look for accessions of strengtli from continual contact with 

 earth. He must easily grasp the significance of the com- 

 monplaces of observation, no fact must be too trivial for 

 consideration, and he must be able readily to appreciate 

 the legitimate use of analogical method. Hitherto the 

 treatment of problems of physical geology has been mainly 

 entrusted to mathematical savants who have had no inti- 

 mate knowledge of geological method, such as is provided 

 by the detailed mapping of a large area, the preparation 

 of detailed geological sections or by accurate observation 

 of the eartli in plan during extensive travel. The mathe- 

 matical computations of the age of the earth are examples 

 of the futility of geological or ^eo.irraphieal speculations 

 based without reference to comparative studies. 



It must not be forgotten that all real progress in geology 

 has been observational and inferential, nevertheless the 

 understanding of ordinary meehauieal prineipl.-s by geolo- 

 gists would make for much greater progress than at present 

 experienced, just as the application of biology to geology 

 has done so much for geological progress. This is well 

 illustrated by a consideration of the problem under dis- 

 cussion, namely, the attempt to prove the geographical 

 unity of Eastern Australia in late and post Tertiary time. 



It will be seen as this report is read that no amount of 

 pakcontological knowledge only on the one hand nor the 

 knowledge of mathematical physics alone on the other 

 would have sufficed to interpret the wondrous history of 

 the eastern continent as a whole in late and post Tertiary 

 time. The problem, however, is amenable to treatment by 

 the more elementary principles of mechanics and biology, 

 i to the inductive method, and byalegiti- 

 analogy. 



