102 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



greatest advantage. We also observed the reduction in the size 

 of foliage in forms such as Ricinocarpus pinijolius, Leptospermum 

 scoparium, L. myrsinoides, Casuarina distt/la, the yellow-flowering 

 Aotus villosus, Dillwynia cinerescens, D. ericijolia, Acacia suave- 

 olens, and others. Wherever we set our foot we met with the bright 

 yellow-flowered Hibbertias — -fasciculata, stricta, and diffusa — 

 with Goodenia pinnatifida, and the white-flowered Pimeleas — 

 humilis, phylicoides, and octophylla — the last-named species well 

 provided with a dense coat of hairlets, in order to successfully 

 regulate the transpiration. 



Where the soil is free of bushes or shrubs, herbaceous plants, 

 well-known friends of the inland parts, such as Hypoxis glabella, 

 Brachycome graminea, Mioroceris Jorsteri, Craspedia richea, 

 Hydrocotyle laxijlora, and Ranunculus lappaceus seem to enjoy 

 one another's company. Under the shelter of dwarf bushes of 

 Casuarina distyla, Banksia 7narginata, and others, Drosera 

 menziesii, Platylobiwin obtusangulum, and Calostrophus 

 Jastigiatus appear, whilst the climber Cassytha glabella grows 

 exuberantly among the bushes. 



Most of the species mentioned bear white or yellow flowers, 

 which colours predominate in the flowers of the Sandringham 

 flora at this time of the season. But this want of variety of 

 colour is sometimes interrupted by the occurrence of more highly 

 coloured species, such as Glossodia major, Caladenia patersoni, 

 Thelymitra antenni/era, Frasophyllum elatwm, Candollea 

 serrulata, Arthropodium strictum, Patersonia glauca, JJianella 

 revoluta, Wahlenbergia gracilis, Chamcescilla corymbosa, and 

 the scarlet creeper, Kennedya prostrata. In places where the 

 soil retains the moisture for a considerable time during the year 

 we collected Utricularia dichotoma, Polypompholyx tenella. 

 Ranunculus aquatilis, Lymnanthemum exaltatum, and Droaera 

 spathulata. Fine specimens of the grass Stipa semibarbata 

 frequently rise above the low shrub vegetation. Of represent- 

 atives of cryptogamic plant life we found the ferns Lindsaya 

 linearis and the cosmopolitan Pteris aquilina. 



My report is rather a lengthy one, as, in writing it, I have not 

 confined myself to merely mentioning the different species we 

 found in bloom, and which pleased us by their beautiful forms or 

 other peculiarities, but have taken the opportunity to try and 

 point out that even a superficial observation of a flora should 

 create such an interest in the observer as to cause him to 

 study the plants, not only as individuals, but also in the relation- 

 ship which the different species have one to another. — G. 

 Weindorfer. 



