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Our objective was to interpret the presence and magnitude of landscape modification by Native Americans on Georgia’s southern coastal plain. Specifically, we aimed to understand how the Native Amer...

Na história do Brasil, há determinados sujeitos negligenciados, alvo de preconceitos, que sofreram com mazelas que lhes foram impostas, dentre os quais o camponês, que, no entrave de diversas lutas, tem buscado o direito de ser e de pertencer a seu território. Este trabalho tem como objetivo apresentar a luta pela terra enquanto uma maneira de reafirmação e recriação da identidade territorial camponesa, que, nesse caso, é consolidada por meio da ocupação de terras. De modo específico, o estudo está voltado para as narrativas de luta do pré-assentamento Dom Tomás Balduíno, o qual está localizado no município de Formosa-GO. Por um lado, a pesquisa se embasa em contribuições de autores que contribuíram de forma significativa para a discussão do tema. Por outro, utiliza-se a história oral, que tem por base a vivência dos próprios camponeses. A observação em campo, aliada ao diálogo e entrevista com os pré-assentados, foi essencial para a construção deste trabalho, na medida em que possibilitou a compreensão de que a luta pela terra se caracteriza como uma das formas de materialização/consolidação da identidade territorial do camponês, luta esta que, além da conquista da terra, diz respeito também à dignidade dos sujeitos. Como citar este artigo:LIMA, Amanda Souza; SOUZA, Francilane Eulália de. Pré-assentamento Dom Tomás Balduíno na reafirmação e recriação da identidade territorial camponesa. Revista NERA, v. 23, n. 53, p. 315-334, mai.-ago., 2020.

U. Buntgen received funding from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of CR within the National Sustainability Program I (NPU I; GN LO1415), and additional support was provided by NSF grant 0909541. We are particularly thankful to the NEEM project and its participants.

Witness trees from GLO surveys covering 6,300 square miles around Puget Sound (western Washington State) reveal, for the first time, the character and local diversity in the region’s mid-19th-century forest cover, before it was severely logged during the settlement period. Although only a few coniferous and hardwood species occurred overall, discrete geographical areas supported distinctive species compositions. Geo-climatic and developmental factors are explored to explain these local differences. Profiles of tree diameters reveal that most trees were small to medium in size, even though most areas also exhibited a minority of larger legacy trees. Approximate stand ages and stages of ecological succession are inferred from local tree sizes and site qualities. Despite current inclusion within the Western Hemlock Zone, major portions of the Puget lowlands (below 1000 feet) displayed extremely few western hemlock, the putative climax species, even stands of decidedly advanced age; in extreme cases “pioneer old growth” prevailed. Conversely, hemlock was strongly predominant in the region’s framing foothills (above 1000 feet), even when stand age there was relatively low. These problematic successional conditions question whether many early forests around Puget Sound deserve a categorical recognition separate from the Western Hemlock Zone.

During settlement of Upper Canada (now Southern Ontario) from 1784 to 1859, land surveys were conducted along transects at roughly one-mile intervals. Handwritten notes, and a few accompanying maps depicting these surveys, have been used only sparsely in modern research. These records represent pre-European settlement baselines, useful in such fields as land-use and heritage planning, forestry, ecology, hydrology, archaeology, and agriculture. Though early survey data (ESD) exhibit deficiencies and surveyor bias, they comprise a unique source of spatial environmental data that is best suited to large-scale resolution studies. A few researchers have generated pre-settlement vegetation maps from ESD, each using independent methodologies. We chronicle efforts to assemble ESD-based vegetation maps generated by various authors in Ontario. Using Google Earth, a web-based database of existing maps was developed along with meta-maps illustrating coverage across Ontario. We briefly review early survey techniques and assess validity of ESD for modern applications. We consider issues such as low map resolution, cartographer interpretation, map access, permissions and rights, and computing technicalities concerning access to and use of these pre-settlement vegetation maps. We hope that greater access to existing vegetation maps generated from ESD will encourage their use in various research disciplines, and that the database will be updated as scholars add to the collection. Resume La conception de cartes de la vegetation precoloniale a l'aide des archives d'arpentage de l'Ontario : une base de donnees en ligne ameliorant l'acces aux cartes pour les chercheurs Lors du peuplement du Haut-Canada (le Sud de l'Ontario d'aujourd'hui) de 1784 a 1859, des releves d'arpentage ont ete effectues le long de transects a des intervalles d'environ un mile. Les travaux de recherche actuels utilisent peu les notes manuscrites et les quelques cartes connexes illustrant ces releves. Ces dossiers fournissent les donnees initiales sur le peuplement precolonial et peuvent servir des domaines tels que la planification du territoire et du patrimoine, la foresterie, l'ecologie, l'hydrologie, l'archeologie et l'agriculture. Bien que les donnees des archives d'arpentage comportent des lacunes et des biais d'arpenteur-geometre, elles constituent neanmoins une source originale de donnees sur l'espace et l'environnement, lesquelles sont bien adaptees aux etudes menees a des resolutions de grande echelle. Quelques chercheurs ont concu des cartes de la vegetation anterieure au peuplement a partir des donnees issues des archives d'arpentage, mais en suivant leur propre methodologie. Nous rendons compte des tentatives visant a reunir des cartes de vegetation concues par un certain nombre d'auteurs de l'Ontario a partir des archives d'arpentage. A l'aide de Google Earth, une base de donnees des cartes disponibles a ete publiee sur Internet et accompagnee de meta-cartes presentant le couvert forestier de l'ensemble du territoire ontarien. Nous brossons un tableau des premieres techniques d'arpentage et menons une evaluation de la pertinence d'utiliser des donnees des archives d'arpentage dans les applications contemporaines. Nous traitons ici des questions telles que la basse resolution des cartes, l'interpretation du cartographe, l'acces aux cartes, les autorisations et les droits, et les aspects techniques lies a l'informatique pour acceder et utiliser ces cartes de la vegetation precoloniale. Nous esperons que l'amelioration de l'acces aux cartes de la vegetation concues a partir des archives d'arpentage contribuera a leur utilisation par un eventail de domaines de recherche, et que la mise a jour de cette base de donnees sera assuree dans la mesure ou les chercheurs continueront d'alimenter ce fonds d'archive.

Body condition in larval fishes is an important determinant of survival in the natural environment. However, few studies correlate body condition with behavioural traits critical for sur- vival, such as swimming performance. In the present study, we compared normally fed larvae of gilt- head seabream Sparus aurata Linnaeus, 1758, at various intervals post-hatch with larvae which were starved for 1 to 3 d (for Ucrit) or 2 d (for swimming endurance). Feeding treatment (fed and or unfed) had no effect on the relationship between Ucrit and larval size. However, in the endurance experi- ment, fed individuals swam twice as far as unfed larvae (19.7 km for fed larvae and 9.5 km for unfed larvae). The RNA/DNA ratio was higher in fed larvae in the Ucrit experiment, but significant effects were only detectable after a 3 d period of starvation. Fulton's condition factor was significantly higher in fed larvae in the endurance trial, which suggests that growth (in weight) of starved larvae was affected by long-term swimming. Taken together, these results suggest that for aging and orientation behaviours (activities in which critical speeds might be involved) are not affected by reduced feeding over a few days, but that sub-lethal effects of starvation may affect dispersal potential (for which endurance swimming is critical) and therefore compromise subsequent recruitment to the adult population.

Questions: What was the tree species composition of forests prior to European settlement at the northern hardwood range limit in eastern Qu´ ebec, Canada? What role did human activities play in the changes in forest composition in this region? Location: Northern range limit of northern hardwoods in the Lower St. Lawrence region of eastern Qu ´ ebec, Canada. Methods: We used early land survey records (1846-1949) of public lands to reconstruct pre-settlement forest composition. The data consist of ranked tree species enumerations at points or for segments along surveyed lines, with enumerations of forest cover types and notes concerning disturbances. An original procedure was developed to weigh and combine these differing data types (line versus point observations; taxa versus cover enumerations). Change to present-day forest composition was evaluated by comparing survey records with forest decadal surveys conducted by the government of Qu ´ ebec over the last 30 years (1980-2009). Results: Pre-settlement dominance of conifers was strong and uniform across the study area, whereas dominance of maple and birches was patchy. Cedar and spruce were less likely to dominate with increasing altitude, whereas maple displayed the reverse trend. Frequency of disturbances, especially logging and fire, increased greatly after 1900. Comparison of survey records and modern plots showed general increases for maple (mentioned frequency increased by 39%), poplar (36%) and paper birch (31%). Considering only taxa ranked first by surveyors, cedar displayed the largest decrease (19%), whereas poplar (15%) and maple (9%) increased significantly. Conclusions: These changes in forest composition can be principally attributed to clear-cutting and colonization fire disturbances throughout the 20th century, and mostly reflected the propensity of taxa to expand (maples/aspen) or decline (cedar/spruce) with increased disturbance frequency. Qu´ ebec's land survey archives provide an additional data source to reconstruct and validate our knowledge of North America's pre-settlement temperate and sub-boreal forests.

This study examines the diet of nine taxa from seven families of pre-settlement coral-reef fish larvae collected in the lagoon of New Caledonia, south-west Pacific. Chesson's index of electivity indicated that the major prey groups in the diets, i.e. small copepods, small unidentified crustaceans and eggs, were positively selected by all larvae, provided they were at least 150 microm wide. This result emphasizes the role of larvae's behaviour on their feeding.

Larval behaviors prior to settlement are impor- tant for both dispersal and the likelihood that larvae will encounter settlement habitat. The role of endogenous fac- tors such as larval age and size are likely to be important in determining pre-settlement behavior but are less well un- derstood than exogenous factors. In a simple experiment we explored the role of larval age and size on pre-settlement behavior in two species of bryozoan. We then used the results of this experiment to develop a theoretical model, which explored potential fitness benefits associated with phenotype-dependent changes in larval behavior (i.e., be- haviors that changed depending on larval age or larval size) in a heterogeneous environment. In the experiment we de- layed the metamorphosis of larvae of Bugula neritina and Watersipora arcuata and assessed the changes in the be- havior of individual larvae (exploring the substratum vs. swimming away from it) as a function of larval age and size. In B. neritina, larval size had no effect on larval swimming behavior, but the youngest and oldest larvae spent more time exploring the substrate than did larvae of intermediate age. In W. arcuata, larval size and age had interactive effects on larval behavior. Our theoretical model predicted that phenotype-dependent behaviors carried a fitness benefit relative to phenotype-independent behaviors, but this de- pended strongly on the availability and quality of habitat elsewhere. We suggest that, taken together, larval age and size are important endogenous factors that act to affect pre-settlement larval behavior and that changes in behavior may act to increase fitness.

The goal of the present study was to determine the most appropriate time to release the immatures of Ucides cordatus (Linnaeus) produced in the laboratory into the natural environments. Specifically, the time when the megalopae sought the mangrove sediment to excavate the burrows was determined, as well as the time necessary for their metamorphosis into the first juvenile stage. Results indicated that the megalopae of U. cordatus reared in the laboratory took three to ten days (median = 6) after their molt to excavated burrows in the sediment. The average time for the megalopae to molt into juveniles was 12.6 days (SD = 2.3).O estágio de desenvolvimento em que se encontram as formas jovens de caranguejo produzidas em laboratório, no momento da sua liberação para o ambiente, é um fator chave para o sucesso dos trabalhos de repovoamento. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo determinar a idade mais adequada das formas jovens de U. cordatus, produzidas em laboratório, para sua liberação no ambiente natural. Especificamente, o momento em que as megalopas procuram o sedimento de mangue para escavar tocas foi determinado, assim como o tempo que demoram até realizarem a metamorfose para o primeiro estágio juvenil. O experimento indicou que as megalopas de U. cordatus produzidas em laboratório levam de 3 a 10 dias (mediana = 6) após a metamorfose até escavarem tocas no sedimento. O tempo médio que as megalopas levaram até realizar a metamorfose para o primeiro estágio juvenil foi de 12,6 dias (desvio padrão = 2,33).

This study examined the effects of spring and fall restoration burning in an old-growth mixed-conifer – ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) forest in southern Oregon. Variables measured include fuel loads, forest structure indices, mortality of large ponderosa pines, and pine resin defenses. One year after treatment, reductions in surface fuel loads and changes to forest structure parameters suggested that burning treatments could meet restoration objectives, with fall burns being somewhat more effective than spring burns. However, mortality of pre settlement pines was significantly higher in fall burns than in spring burns, and both were higher than in unburned controls. Bark beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) were important mortality agents within 2 years after burning. Resin defenses (pressure and flow) were variable over the 2 years of postburn study but showed no evidence of decrease in burned trees; rather, resin defenses were significantly higher in burned trees than in controls at several measurement dates. While increased beetle attacks have previously been documented following burning, there has been much less research on resin responses to fire. These findings suggest that current models of beetle–host interactions do not properly explain the effects of prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forests.

Our understanding of habitat selection by reef fish larvae has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. Fish larvae have long been considered passive particles at the mercy of ocean currents, tides and weather events. For reef fishes, ecological evidence has shown that passive dispersal alone often cannot explain larval distributions, suggesting active behaviour by reef fish larvae. While behaviourally modified passive transport may be important, recent work demonstrates that some reef fish larvae have the capability to actively swim to settlement habitat. They can orientate to reefs from distances of at least 1 km and can swim at speeds of 13.5 cm s ‐1 for several days. The question then becomes, what are the cues that fish larvae use to orientate to reefs? Ambient reef sound has been shown to be attractive to reef fish larvae, and current research aims to understand better the nature and use of these acoustic cues. Other potential cues include chemoreception /olfaction, wave cues and visual location of reefs. A better understanding of active habitat selection and the underlying sensory and behavioural mechanisms will improve our knowledge of recruitment processes in reef fish ecology, and may have implications for active management of reef fish populations.

Original Dominion Land Survey (DLS) township maps from the 19th century provide information to characterize pre-settlement surface conditions in the Canadian Prairies. Surveyors produced maps and detailed notes of landscape features such as wetlands, prairie, woodlands, water bodies and the locations of springs. Using these maps, stored in the Provincial Archives of Manitoba (PAM), historic wetlands and vegetation cover for a portion of the Red River basin in southern Manitoba were reconstructed and mapped with a Geographic Information System (GIS). To date, 100 townships, covering approximately 9,400 km2 have been captured in the GIS and analyzed into the categories of wetland, prairie, woodland, scrub and water. Wetlands represented 1,098 km2; prairie approximately 6,800 km2; woodland just over 1,000 km2; scrub about 500 km2; and water 3.2 km2. Applying these categories, a preliminary map of the pre-settlement landscape has been generated. The use of environmental reconstruction techniques, including wr...

Epipelagic juvenile bluenose, Hyperoglyphe antarctica (Carmichael 1818), are recorded from New Zealand for the first time. Two specimens were collected beneath flotsam nearNga Motu/Sugar Loaf Islands, west coast North Island in September 1996, and at least 20 were found inside a piece of trawl net drifting east of Cape Kidnappers, east coast North Island in September 1997. Live specimens between 65 and 87.3 mm standard length were cryptically coloured and were able to change their body colour from dark coppery‐bronze to blue. Freshly dead specimens lacked the thick mucous coat found in juveniles of other Hyperoglyphe species known to associate with jellyfish. We suggest that H. antarctica recruitment may be higher along the lower east coast North Island because of retention of flotsam‐associated juveniles in the East Cape and Wairarapa Eddies, and that juveniles spawned off south‐east Australia may reach New Zealand in the Tasman Current.

Historical records indicate that the fertile soils of the western and central Wimmera Plains of Victoria, Australia formerly supported grassy woodlands on rises and flats, and grasslands on shallow depressions and clay plains. Soil type and micro-relief appear to have been the major factors that determined the distribution of these communities. Burning of the woodlands by Aborigines may have contributed to their open grassy nature. The few ungrazed remnants of Buloke (Allocasuarina luehmannii) woodland support a suite of species that are absent from or uncommon in other Buloke woodland remnants in the region. This work demonstrates that in districts where little intact native vegetation remains, investigation of the distribution and floristic composition of the pre-settlement vegetation can provide useful information for the maintenance and restoration of remnant vegetation.

Pre-setttement settlement, or PreSS, is a negotiation technique that precedes and potentially facilitates a final settlement. A PreSS is distinguished by three characteristics. It is: formal (being a binding agreement), initial (being the first step of a longer process), and partial (covering only a subset of issues). PreSS provides a conceptual umbrella for several existing concepts in the negotiation literature. The what, when, and why of PreSS are delineated and examples of pre-settlement settlement are provided.

The late pelaglc stages of reef f~shes are capable of swimming substant~al distances w h ~ c h may sign~flcantly mod~fy their dispersal The energetic cost of this swlmming, at 13 5 cm S' , was measured for the late pelagic stages (mean total length ranging from 10.8 to 22.4 mm) of 9 specles from 4 reef fish familles (Pomacentridae, Pomacanthldae, Chaetodontldae and Lethnnidae] Of the potentlal sources of energy (lipld, carbohydrate and protein), all were utilised, but lipid appeared to be the most energetically important across the specles. Llp~d levels decreased s~gniflcantly In 5 of the 9 specles. The decrease and the relatlve percentage of energy lost In the form of h p ~ d was greater than for carbohydl-ate and proteln The pattern of enel-gy utilisation v a r ~ e d among specles. The greatest decrease in energy stores was seen In the heaviest species, i vh~ch swam for the longest du ra t~on (the chactodontids and I(>thrin~d), showlng up to 72'LL8 decrease in 11p1d. 66% decrease* in carbohydrate and 39% decrease in proti'ln The lighter specles, which swam for shorter time perlods (the pomacentrids and the pomacanth~d) , showed cornparatlvely 11ttle change In energy reserves after sw~mming . lnltial levels of energy reserves correlated \vith d~s t ance surllm and were greatest In the heavier specles

The Instituto para el Depósito de Valores (INDEVAL) is the Central Securities Depository of Mexico. It is the only Mexican institution authorized to perform, in an integrated manner, the activities of safe-keeping, custody, management, clearing, settlement and transfer of securities. In this article, we report the modeling, simulation and analysis of a new Securities Settlement System (SSS) implemented by INDEVAL, as part of a project for the implementation of a safer and more efficient operating system. The main objective of this research was to use reduced amounts of cash and securities, within reasonable periods of time, for the settlement of securities of the Mexican market. A linear programming model for the netting and clearing of operations was used. The performance of the new SSS was evaluated by performing experiments using a deterministic simulation model under different operation parameters, such as the number and monetary value of transactions, the time between clearing cycles and also under a new set of rules for pre-settlement operations. The results presented may be used by other Central Securities Depositories to make decisions related to the efficient and safer use of their resources. The implementation of the model took more than three years. Now many transactions that would remain pending if processed individually are settled together, thus reducing liquidity requirements dramatically —by 52% in cash and 26% in securities.El Instituto para el Depósito de Valores (INDEVAL) es el Depositario Central de Valores de México. Es la única institución mexicana autorizada para ejecutar, de manera integrada, las actividades de guarda, custodia, administración, compensación, liquidación y transferencia de valores. En este artículo se reporta el modelado, simulación y análisis de un nuevo sistema de liquidación de valores (SLV) implantado por INDEVAL, como parte de un proyecto para la construcción de un sistema de operación más seguro y eficiente. El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue el de utilizar cantidades menores de efectivo y de valores en el proceso de liquidación del mercado mexicano, dentro de un período adecuado, empleando para ello un modelo de programación lineal para la compensación de valores y efectivo. El desempeño del nuevo SLV se evaluó conduciendo experimentos, utilizando un modelo de simulación determinística, bajo diferentes parámetros de operación, los cuales incluyen el número y monto de las transacciones y el lapso que determinan los ciclos de compensación, así como de reglas usadas en una operación de pre-liquidación. Los resultados generados en esta investigación pueden ser utilizados como referencia por otros SLV para tomar decisiones relacionadas con la eficiencia y la seguridad en el uso de sus recursos. La implementación del modelo llevó más de tres años. Actualmente, muchas operaciones que quedarían pendientes de liquidar si se hiciesen en forma individual, son liquidadas en grupo, por compensación, reduciendo dramáticamente los requerimientos de liquidez: en 52% en el caso del efectivo y en 26% en el caso de valores. El Instituto para el Depósito de Valores (INDEVAL) es el Depositario Central de Valores de México. Es la única institución mexicana autorizada para ejecutar, de manera integrada, las actividades de guarda, custodia, administración, compensación, liquidación y transferencia de valores. En este artículo se reporta el modelado, simulación y análisis de un nuevo sistema de liquidación de valores (SLV) implantado por INDEVAL, como parte de un proyecto para la construcción de un sistema de operación más seguro y eficiente. El objetivo principal de esta investigación fue el de utilizar cantidades menores de efectivo y de valores en el proceso de liquidación del mercado mexicano, dentro de un período adecuado, empleando para ello un modelo de programación lineal para la compensación de valores y efectivo. El desempeño del nuevo SLV se evaluó conduciendo experimentos, utilizando un modelo de simulación determinística, bajo diferentes parámetros de operación, los cuales incluyen el número y monto de las transacciones y el lapso que determinan los ciclos de compensación, así como de reglas usadas en una operación de pre-liquidación. Los resultados generados en esta investigación pueden ser utilizados como referencia por otros SLV para tomar decisiones relacionadas con la eficiencia y la seguridad en el uso de sus recursos. La implementación del modelo llevó más de tres años. Actualmente, muchas operaciones que quedarían pendientes de liquidar si se hiciesen en forma individual, son liquidadas en grupo, por compensación, reduciendo dramáticamente los requerimientos de liquidez: en 52% en el caso del efectivo y en 26% en el caso de valores

SUMMARY The swimming abilities of fishes are of vital importance to their ecology,and studies on fish swimming have been the focus of research for over a century. Here we explore the relationship between swimming ability and external body morphology, using data on Ucrit swimming speeds of 100 species of pre-settlement juvenile coral reef fishes (at the transition between the larval and adult habitats), comprising 26 different families from 5 orders. The taxonomic diversity of this methodologically consistent dataset provides a unique opportunity to examine the relationship between form and function in fish swimming across a broad taxonomic range. Overall, we found that a predictive model incorporating total length(TL), the square of caudal peduncle depth factor(CPDF2) and aspect ratio (AR) can be used to accurately predict swimming performance of a wide range of fish families, and was able to explain 69% of the variability in swimming performance of these pre-settlement juvenile fishes. The model was also able to successfully predict the swimming speed of an out-group salmonid species (Oncorhynchus mykiss). There was no evidence that the model fit differed among taxonomic groups, despite the inclusion of five different orders of fishes,suggesting that body morphology sufficiently explains the bulk of differences in swimming performance. Furthermore, the model appears to work equally well for fishes from the Great Barrier Reef and the Caribbean, and for families with different adult habitat associations and swimming modes. It remains to be determined how well the model predicts the swimming abilities of temperate species as well as adults of these same species. This model provides an invaluable means of predicting swimming abilities of pre-settlement juvenile fishes that are unable to be reared in the laboratory, do not perform well in swimming flumes or are unable to be captured live in the field.

In recent years, there has been a marked expansion in the range of products cleared through central counterparty clearing houses, accompanied by a trend towards consolidation in the clearing infrastructure. The financial stability implications of these developments are of considerable policy interest. In this paper, we use a simulation approach to analyse, in a systematic way, the potential pre-settlement cost and risk implications of these developments. Our results point towards substantial risk-reduction benefits from multilateral clearing arrangements, arising from multilateral netting and mutualisation. The paper also examines individual incentives to join multilateral clearing arrangements. We suggest that arrangements with restricted direct participation and tiered membership may be a natural response to the uneven distribution of total pre-settlement costs when agents are of heterogeneous credit quality and it is costly to individually tailor margin.

Barnacle cyprids exhibit a complex swimming and exploratory behaviour on surfaces and settlement is a consequence of extensive surface probing and selection of suitable settlement sites. In this work, the behaviour of cyprids in their pre-settlement phase was studied by three-dimensional video stereoscopy. With this technique, three-dimensional trajectories were obtained that were quantitatively analysed. The velocity during vertical sinking of cyprids of Balanus amphitrite was used with a modified form of Stokes' law to calculate their mean body density. Furthermore, a classification of the swimming patterns allowed the extension of existing models describing cyprid locomotion and swimming behaviour. The patterns were characterized with respect to their occurrence, transition between patterns and their velocity distribution, and motions were identified that led to surface contacts. This analysis provides a classification framework, which can assist future attempts to identify behavioural responses of cyprids to specific settlement cues.

The unfolding of knowledge of Australian natural history as a result of the visits of marine explorers is briefly reviewed, particular attention being paid to Tasmania. The importance of the D'Entrecasteaux and Baudin expeditions is stressed, the unique observations of the Baudin expedition on the Tasmanian Aborigines being emphasised. The observations of exploring expeditions must form the basis for the study of the ecology of the Australasian region because they provide evidence as to the state of the country before it was disturbed by European settlement.