president's address. 
647 
Bournemouth in England branchlets and scales have been dis- 
covered which are scarcely distinguishable from those of our 
species abovenamed. Fossil remains of the genus have been 
found in Europe, North America, China, the extreme south of 
South America, Tasmania, E. Australia, and even the Island of 
Kerguelen. Living species occur in North-east Australia and 
adjacent islands, Chili and Peru. 
The genus Dammara, the best known example of which is the 
New Zealand Kauri, now exists in Queensland, New Zealand, 
Borneo, Celebes and the Philippines. Remains obtained from 
the Cretaceous rocks of Greenland have been referred to this 
genus, but the identification is somewhat uncertain. 
Araucaria is not typical of any country; and the same may be 
said of that other ancient group the Cycadece, which have had a 
world-wide distribution. It is necessary to draw attention to 
this, as the fact of their existence in certain strata in the northern 
hemisphere has assisted in the drawing of false comparisons 
between the tertiary vegetation and climate of Southern England 
and those of Australia of the present day. 
The first undoubted appearance of Dicotyledons in Europe is 
in the Upper Cretaceous Beds, and there they are found in large 
numbers, as if an invasion of those forms after collecting strength 
elsewhere had just taken place. 
The oldest examples of dicotyledonous plant remains in Australia 
hitherto brought to light are some obtained by Mr. H. C. Stokes 
about three years ago in some railway cuttings near Brisbane. 
These fossils were sent by Mr. Etheridge to Baron Ettingshausen, 
who pronounced them to be of Upper Cretaceous age from a con- 
sideration of their character which resembled European specimens 
from strata of that age. Mr. Etheridge informs me, however, that 
the beds in question are considered by Mr. R. L. Jack, Govern- 
ment Geologist of Queensland, to form part of the Ipswich Coal 
Measures, and as such are of Early or Middle Mesozoic age.* 
The whole of the facts having reference to the distribution of 
plants and animals in the southern hemisphere seem to point to 
* Geol. & Pal. of Queensland and New Guinea, p. 597. 
R R 
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