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Nototheria and allied animals - a rejoinder

Scott, Herbert Hedley and Lord, Clive Errol 1921 , 'Nototheria and allied animals - a rejoinder' , Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania , pp. 1-5 .

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Abstract

Before presenting to the Royal Society of Tasmania our notes upon the extinct Marsupial Rhinoceros, Nototherium
mitchelli, we cast them into such a form as to embrace
extreme osteological details upon the one hand, and the widest taxonomical scope upon the other. This latter
item, in fact, had its entire origin in the circumstances incidental
to the super-imposition of the Rhinoceros trend upon
the more or less generalised Marsupial races of geological
periods long since past. Any criticism of our work or
methods should therefore, in justice, take note of this duality,
or to descend to details—deductions made from the wide
scope of the trend should not be quoted in terms of that man-made
taxonomy that is enthralled within the iron bands
of genus, species, and variety. Again, to quote backwards
from the living—and largely fixed—marsupials of to-day,
to plastic, rapidly evolving generalised types, is to throw
ourselves open to contradiction by the very next discovery
that fortune places at our disposal. Accordingly, we used
considerable caution in this respect, but, as it now appears,
stand charged with an under-estimation of the values of
the evidence yielded by a study of the Nototherian and
modern marsupial premolars. (1920, pp. 13, 17, and 76.)
We therefore desire to add the present note to our
previous papers in order to reply to certain remarks made
by Mr. Heber Longman in his recent interesting contribution
to the memoirs of the Queensland Museum, (2) on Euryzygoma
dunense. (1920, p. 65.) Includes illustrative plates.

Item Type: Article
Authors/Creators:Scott, Herbert Hedley and Lord, Clive Errol
Keywords: Royal Society of Tasmania, Van Diemens Land, VDL, Hobart Town, natural sciences, proceedings, records
Journal or Publication Title: Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Collections: Royal Society Collection > Papers & Proceedings of the Royal Society of Tasmania
Additional Information:

In 1843 the Horticultural and Botanical Society of Van Diemen's Land was founded and became the Royal Society of Van Diemen's Land for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science in 1844. In 1855 its name changed to Royal Society of Tasmania for Horticulture, Botany, and the Advancement of Science. In 1911 the name was shortened to Royal Society of Tasmania.

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