THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 19 



covered rocks and rotten logs, and through a perfect maze of 

 vines and creepers which twined round one's legs and became 

 twisted round one's neck in an unpleasantly suggestive manner. 

 Here every rock and stump carried its crown of ferns and orchids, 

 whilst nearly every tree sustained a load of Bird's Nest and Stag- 

 horn ferns, some of the former being of gigantic proportions." 

 Time was too brief and other circumstances did not favour 

 collecting. Believing the peak to be unnamed, the travellers 

 called it " Mount Langlon," in honour of a member of the party 

 who was certainly the first lady to reach the summit. 



The ascent of Mount Langton is the last expedition of which 

 I have any record, and my supply of notes from Townsville 

 district has (I trust temporarily) ceased. 



THE LATE HON. DR. DOBSON, F.L.S. 

 We regret to have to record the death, on Saturday, ist June, of 

 the Hon. Dr. Dobson, M.L.C^ for many years a member of the 

 Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. Having a natural taste for 

 botany, the hon. gentleman became a member of the Club in 

 1881, and succeeded Prof. M'Coy as president for the year 

 1883-4. Though a frequent attendant at the earlier meetings of 

 the Club, he was the author of only one paper, entitled "Some 

 Remarks on the Term 'Fruit,'" read in April, 1886 {Victorian 

 Naturalist, iii., page i). He also took part in several excursions 

 where botany formed the chief object of research. In his 

 presidential address, delivered at the Royal Society's Hall, at the 

 fourth conversaziofie of the Club, on 30th April, 18S4, and which 

 appeared in the first volume of the Club's journal, he advocated 

 the publication of a Victorian Botany for students, on the plan 

 of the Rev. W. W. Spicer's " Handbook to the Plants of 

 Tasmania," which was drawn up as a dichotomous key. The 

 suggestion was taken up by the Club, and at the instance of the 

 Government of the day, urged by Dr. Dobson, as a member of 

 the Legislative Council, Baron von Mueller (the Government 

 Botanist) was instructed to carry out the work, which it is need- 

 less to say was done with that thoroughness which characterizes 

 all his work, and resulted in the publication of the " Key to the 

 System of Victorian Plants," a much more elaborate work than 

 we venture to think Dr. Dobson had in his mind when throwing 

 out the suggestion. The learned doctor's services were always at 

 the disposal of the Club when it was desired to approach any of 

 the Government departments on such questions as the extension 

 of the protection of native birds, the reservation of Wilson's 

 Promontory as a national park, &c., while his position for many 

 years as a trustee of the Public Library, National Museum, &c., 

 enabled him to assist in the advancement of natural science by 

 those institutions. 



