650 president's address. 



been in error even as to natural orders of specimens of which he 

 possessed leaves alone, and he refers to Professor Flower who had 

 pointed out that' leaves belong to a class of structures that are 

 aptly designated adaptive as opposed to essential. He next 

 points out that some of Heer's determinations of Podogonium of 

 the Caesalpineae where specimens of leaves, fruits, and even 

 flowers, some of them still attached are conclusive, and that from 

 their relation to existing plants point to certain conclusions as to 

 climate ; but in dealing with the reputed Australian groups he is 

 strongly adverse. Speaking of Proteacese, he says " I have no 

 hesitation in stating that I do not believe that a single specimen 

 has been found that a modern systematic botanist would admit to 

 be Proteaceous unless it had been received from a country where 

 ProtencecB were otherwise known to exist." As Mr. Bentham was 

 especially engaged at the time in the examination of Proteacetv, I 

 cannot do better than make one or two short quotations in order 

 to give his own words. " The analysis and detailed descriptions 

 I have had to make within the last few months of between four 

 and six hundred Proteacece, and consequent investigation of their 

 affinities and distribution have shown that the Order, as a whole 

 is one of the most distinct and most clearly defined amongst 

 Phanerogams. I do not know of a single plant intermediate in 

 structure between that and the nearest allied Orders which I can- 

 not say of any other of the large Orders I have worked upon. 

 There is, moreover, especially amongst the Nucamentacem a re- 

 markable definiteness in the majority of genera without inter- 

 mediate species, whilst the whole Order exhibits the greatest 

 uniformity in some of its most essential characters, derived from 

 the arrangement of the floral organs and the structure of the ovary 

 and embryo, accompanied by a truly protean foliage. All this 

 points in my mind to unity of origin, very great antiquity and 

 long isolation in early times." Speaking of the so-called fruits of 

 Hakea and Emhothria as determined and figured by Ettingshausen 

 but of which the internal structure is not visible, he says that some 

 are " quite as much like those of several Coniferce, or of certain 

 genera of Meliacece, Sapindacece and various other Dicotyledonous 



