THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



AMONG THE ALPINE FLOWERS. 

 By F. G. a. Barnard and C. S. Sutton, M.l]. 

 {Read he/ore the Field Naturalists' Cluh of Victoria, dth March, WWi.) 

 Ever since hearing Mr. C. Wallet's paper on his trip to the 

 Alps and Buffalo Mountains {Vict. Nat., xvi., p. i8), and the 

 concluding sentence of Mr. J. H. Maiden's paper on his visit to 

 Mount Hotham, &c. {Vict. Nat., xvii., p. 47), in which he 

 urged every Victorian botanist to visit the Alps, and thereby 

 gain expansion of ideas, we had longed for the opportunity to 

 follow in their footsteps. 



This came at Christmas time, when our fellow-member, Mr. G. 

 Weindorfer, asked us to join him in a short holiday in the Alps. 

 We therefore left town on Christmas Eve, fully equipped for four 

 days' collecting in the Bright district. Reaching Bright in the 

 small hours of Christmas morning, we had a few hours' rest, and 

 then started on the sixteen-mile drive to Harrietville, the first 

 stage on the way to the Alps. 



Of course the first plant to attract our attention was the 

 introduced plant St. John's Wort, Hypericum 'perforatum, Linn., 

 which, escaping from a cottage garden, has overrun the district, 

 and in many parts entirely taken possession of the soil. Along 

 the water-races for mining purposes, so numerous in the district, 

 was noticed a tree acacia, Acacia pravissima, F. v. M., somewhat 

 like A. armata, R. Br., bearing large quantities of seed-pods. 

 Some fine plants of Typha anyustifvlia, L., were passed, and 

 near Stony Creek some fine bushes of the Prickly Box, Bursaria 

 spiiiosa, Cav., in full bloom. 



The vegetation along the road was of the ordinary slringy-bark 

 ranges character, and it was not until we left Harrietville, and 

 commenced the ascent of the range leading to Mount St. Bernard, 

 that we began to find a somewhat different flora. A twelve-mile 

 walk was now before us. By mistake we passed the turn-off of 

 the Omeo-road, so took a short cut straight up the spur. Here 

 Fersoonia coifertiflora, Benth., F. cJiavioipuce, Shot., and F. 

 juniperina. Lab. (in fruit), formed our first specimens. Fine 

 spikes oi Lomalia ilicifolia, R. Br., were fairly abundant, and tiie 

 orchid, Dijjodiuvi pu')ictatum., R. Br., was also noted. ALiking 

 for the old (up|)er) road, we passed numerous leguminaceous 

 shrubs, but all past their flowering period. 



An elevation of some 3,000 feet is gained in the first tiiree 

 miles of this road, and we were not sorry to reach a spring by the 

 roadside, which made a welcome halting place tor our mid-day 

 meal. Continuing on, numerous familiar plants were seen 

 growing in the roadside cuttings. At about six miles we reached 

 a small quartz battery connected with a mine upon the hillside. 

 Here lliere was another welcome spring. From here the 

 vegetation began to improve, from a botanist's point of view. 



