Australasian Fossils: A Students' Manual of PalaeontologyChapman, Frederick
Science
Australasian Fossils: A Students' Manual of Palaeontology
Chapman, Frederick
Paleontology -- Australia
On turning to the occurrence of "human fossils" in Australia we find the
geological evidence for any great antiquity of man on this continent to
be very scanty and inconclusive. This does not, however, imply that
man's existence in Australia will not eventually be proved to date back
far beyond the period of the "kitchen middens" of modern aspect, such as
are now exposed on the slopes behind the sea-beaches, and on the inland
camping grounds. Almost all the records of Australian human remains that
have been found in other than ordinary burial places, have proved to be
of comparatively recent date. For example, the partially lime-encrusted
body found in the cave in the Mosquito Plains, north of Penola, South
Australia, recorded by Tenison Woods, is that of an aborigine who, in the
early days of settlement, crawled into the cave in a wounded condition.
Other occurrences of human remains in caves, but of fairly recent date
are, a child's skull found in a small cave at Bungonia, Co. Argyle, New
South Wales, recorded by Etheridge; and the non-petrified limb-bones
found in a cave at Wellington, New South Wales, recorded by Krefft, which
were probably washed in from the surface in recent times. As regards the
former, in Western Australia, as observed by Froggatt, the natives at the
present time seek shelter in caves, where these occur, instead of building
mia-mias.
A more interesting, because probably much older, occurrence of human
remains has been described by Etheridge and Trickett from one of the
Jenolan Caves (Skeleton Cave); and those authors conclude from "The
great lapse of time that must have accrued to enable the changes already
outlined to have taken place since the introduction of the remains into
the Skeleton Cave," that these remains are ancient.
[Illustration: =Fig. 150--Impressions of Footprints in dune sand-rock.=
Warrnambool, Victoria. 1/9 nat. size.
(_F. C. Photo_). (_Warrnambool Museum_).
]
Curious footprints supposed to resemble impressions of human feet with
accompanying impress as if made by natives seated, have been long known
from the older sand-dune rock of Warrnambool. They were found at Kellas'
Quarry, on the Port Fairy Road in 1890 and at a depth of 54 feet. In
November, 1912, a further discovery of similar footprints were found at
Messrs. Steere Bros.' Quarry, Warrnambool, at a depth of 10 feet, as a
block of stone was being removed for building purposes. These footprints
are even more obscure than those previously found, and it would be unsafe
to affirm their human origin, although they are suggestive of such. Their
antiquity is certainly great, since the lavas and tuffs of the Tower
Hill district are found overlying this old dune-rock. Other footprints
associated with these resemble those of the Dingo and a gigantic bird,
possibly like _Genyornis_.
=Probable Origin of Aborigines.--=
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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