Evening star., 1939-08-31

Of the existing fragments. Last
night Prof. Seward presented for the
first time living picture of the
lost continent, based on studies of
its fossil botany during the last few
years by himself, w. N. Edwards,
curator of geology of the British
Museum, and DR.. j. B. Simpson of
the British Geological Survey.
From this study of hitherto
neglected and practically unknown
geological collections in the British
Museum they have been able to re-
construct much of the actual
scenery. 1t turns out to have been
very close to the traditional picture
Of Eden without Adam and Eve. 1t
confirms in part theories advanced
few years ago by American
paleontologists that the orders of
mammals which now inhabit the
world must have been derived from
far Northern origin, although no
ancestral remains have been found
in the Arctic regions.
The finding of Sir Albert Seward
and his colleagues that Thule had q
warm, temperate type of vegetation,
even in its projections far above the
present Arctic Circle, are inexplica-
BILE in the light of present knowl-
edge, he said. They might be ea-
planned on the hypothesis that con-
tinents and fragments of continents
float slowly over the surface of the
globe like icebergs in the ocean, he
said. But this hypothesis, advanced
by the German geophysicists Veg
ener about 20 years ago, is not
generally accepted by biologists and
rigid tests conducted in the last few
years by means of radio signals be-
tween the United States and Europe
have failed to give any evidence of
1t. But If this theory is rejected.
Prof. Seward declared, the implica-
tions of warm climate from the
type of vegetation he has found can
not be explained.
The mystery is deepened, he
stressed, by the fact that the forests
OF Thule f1ourished comparatively
recently in the geological time scale.
with hardly enough of an interval
for the great drift required by the
Wegener hypothesis to have taken
place. The old continent has been
IN its present shattered condition so
long as there have been any human
records or traditions and was prob
ably broken up long before the gro
tesque Neanderthalers, early ice age
forerunners of modern man in Eu-
rope, had appeared on the scene
from some unknown place of origin
IN either Asia or Africa.
Many of the Thulean trees, shrubs
and flowers he has identified from
the fossil records have vanished
from the earth, Sir Albert said,
Some OF them, or at least close rela-
tlves, now flourish in parts of the
earth far removed from the frag-
ments OF Thule and for the most
part with warmer climates.
Among these are the giant seuuoias
OF California and the ginkgo. or
maldenhair tree, which survives in
China, possibly in the wild state.
and imported specimens of which
line some streets in Southwest
Washington, D. c. These trees are
representatives of an otherwise ex-
tlnct order and have no living rela-
tlVes In the world. Dense forests of
maidenhair trees, he said, covered
parts OF ancient Thule. Neither
they nor the sequoias could possibly
survive in the climate of the frag-
ments today.
floWerlng plants, he said, consti-
tuted by far the greatest number of
species in the Thulean forests
Among these was a blossomine oak
whose nearest relative now is found
IN the rain forests of Southern
Asia.
A new order of mankind" is re-
placing the old order of nature
which has held sway over the earth
for billion years through the ma
chinery of evolution, the association
was told today by Prof. James
Ritchie Of the University of Aber-
deem.
There are two types of change in
progress in the natural assemblage
OF animals in any region" Prof.
Ritchie declared. First there is the
constant ebb and flow due to local
and temporary influences, balance
OF life which is never quite struck.
There is also faunal drift, revealed
IN the story of the rocks or in anv
long vista of history, and this is
due to great secular changes, to
geological influences, to modifica-
tions OF climate, to the insurgence
OF the forces of life. And where
mans influence is persistent in any
direction it must be recknned as