230 
!M AiTLANi). — ir(\'itern Ansiralian Gcolor/y. 
r\'i<Ii'iU'i' of ;i (iiHtiiU'tly waniici' cliinati' than at ]ti'(‘soiit ol)taiiis 
ill tliost' areas. 
i‘ roiu the ^laiiiiiiotli Cta\'e, on tlie ^laryaret Kiver in the ex- 
tiome soiitlowest ])ovtion of the State, over 10,000 lames or frag'- 
ments in an excel lent state of jireservatiou tiave heen nueartlicO 
from beneath a layer of stalag'initic material -whieh covered the 
lloor. 
Tlie mammalian fauna of the rieistoeene eaves of the ^[ar 2 'are! 
River has l)een in part deseril)ed in a series of publications issued 
under the aegis of the Trustees of the Western Australian Museum. 
A vast amount of material has still to be worked out and it is 
hoped that such will be ])ut in liaint at .an early date as the 
investigations hid fair to o[>en up im])ortant and fascinating pliases 
in the ancient mammalian history of the State. 
(■'areful and systeuiati<- exjiloration of these limestone caves 
and the numerous ro<dv slndteis and grottoes of the (\mtral and other 
inteiior regions may ]K)ssibly prove them to contain, ]>riceless fossil 
evidence cajiable of throwing light u])on the origin of the Aus- 
tralian aborogines am! incidentally that of the hnnuin race, and 
the location of the original home of inankind. 
Many of the' sedinumtary and otlier ri'sidual deposits occurring 
ill wi^lely separated districts of the State weathered out into shal- 
low caves which jirovided rock shelters frepnented by the native 
laces, whose former ]>resence is imlicated by stone and other im- 
plenumts, and fragments of bones of birds and animals, as well 
a^' realistic ])aintings of men and native anim.als done in colour on 
the surface of the rocks, many of them giving evidence of artistic 
skill of a relatively high older. 
Palaeontological research on material from Western Australia 
virtu.aliy began with investigations made into the collections made 
dining that early jteinod devoted to odicial exploration and survey 
hmg }trior to the commencement of moi'e or less systematic geo- 
logical work. The fossil collections made by iMr. P. T. Gregory 
lietweeii the years 18d0 and 18(il gave the fitst evidence of the 
])resence of Mesozoic rocks in the Stale in addition to furnishing 
aji account of the scanty ('’arbonifinous faunas occuridng in rocks 
ot‘ th(‘ valley of tlu' T^yons River, east of the Kennedy Range in 
the watershed of the Gascoyne, and on the Irwin River. This was 
followed in 1802 by the work of Mr. Charles Moore, F.G.H., on 
the collection of Mesozoic fossils made by Mr. (difton, which wa.s 
forwarded to England to Mr. A. Sanford, P.G.S., and displayed in 
the Museum of the Somersetshire Archaeological and Natural His- 
tory Society in Wellington and it is claimed to have been “tliQ 
