BY A. G. HAMILTON. 37 



out. But the very fact that it is restricted to one locality goes 

 to show that it is a species in process of becoming extinct. I 

 observed only one living, but quite a number of dead plants on 

 the opposite bank of the creek, and here the ground was trampled 

 bare by cattle. 



In Kerner and Oliver's ' Natural History of Plants ' (1), p. 130, 

 Cephalotus is spoken of as coming from Eastern Australia, a 

 mistake which has been made, or copied by other authors; and 

 in Grant Allen's 'Story of the Plants ' (2), p. 72, a Sarracenia is 

 figured as "An Australian Pitcher Plant which eats insects." 

 An excellent figure is given in Curtis' 'Botanical Magazine.' (3). 



The plants are extremely attractive in appearance, both from 

 the graceful shape and bright colouring of the pitchers. The 

 prevailing colours are bright red to purplish-crimson, vivid green, 

 and on the lids areolae of translucent white. The plants growing 

 in the open were much more brilliantly coloured than those in 

 the shade. Indeed many of those in deep shade were without 

 any red at all, the colours being' light green and transparent 

 patches. Pitchers which were dying off changed the green into 

 yellow, and the crimson into orange-red, adding greatly to the 

 variety of colour which a clump showed. The ordinary leaves, 

 too, often assume bright crimson and yellow coloration when 

 beginning to die. 



At the time of my visit in mid-December, the plants were in 

 very early bud, the flower-stalks being 10-2 to 20-4 cm. high; but 

 the buds were so little advanced that the floral structure could 

 not be made out even by dissection, and Mr. Andrews, who 

 stayed some weeks longer than I did, informs me that up till the 

 time of his leaving no flowers had opened. I was told by a 

 resident that the flowers did not open till January and February. 

 When the plants grew in the open, they were perfect rosettes, 

 the pitchers on the outside, and the ordinary leaves (when there 

 were any) in the centre. But there were not many of the latter, 

 and for the most part they were small. I believe that the 

 ordinar}'- leaves develop in the autumn, reaching their full 

 maturity in spring, and then gradually going ofl'; while the 



