THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 91 



Plants," and also reports by Messrs. Hoffman and Rummel on 

 " Chemical Researches on Vegetable Products of Victoria." 



In 1887-88 he published the "Iconography of Australian Species 

 of Acacia and Cognate Genera," consisting of 130 plates, with 

 explanatory matter; in 1886 the work on Myoporineae was com- 

 menced, with 72 plates, and in 1890-91 he published the two 

 volumes on Salsolaceous Plants — a work of considerable economic 

 value, and likely to be still more highly valued when Australia is 

 fully alive to the great economic importance of this part of its flora. 



In 1885 he commenced to work, at the instigation especially of 

 the late Dr. F. S. Dobson, a former president of this club, on the 

 " Dichotomous Key to the Victorian Flora." The plan was one 

 which was clearly distasteful to him, and though, as with all his 

 other work, he expended upon it a great amount of conscientious 

 labour, it must be frankly admitted that from the point of view for 

 which it was intended it was not a success ; indeed, it may be 

 doubted whether a work on such a plan could be satisfactory 

 beyond a certain and very limited degree. The Baron was pre- 

 eminently an investigator, and not a teacher in the ordinary sense 

 of the word, and with his profound knowledge it is not to be 

 wondered at that he found the dichotomous method almost 

 impossible to utilize in the grouping and identification of species. 



Amongst other works may be noticed his papers on the Papuan 

 plants of D'Albertis and Macleay, and, in more recent years, on 

 those collected by Sir Wm. Macgregor in New Guinea, and in 

 the New Hebrides by Mr. Campbell. The works of explorers 

 such as Babbage, M'Douall Stuart, Giles, and J. and A. Forrest, 

 and the report of the Elder expedition, contain valuable lists of 

 the flora of various little known parts of the continent. 



For years past collectors from all parts of the continent, many 

 subsidized by himself, but many others, fired by his enthusiasm, 

 working gladly to assist him, have supplied him with material, 

 the results of his work being scattered through various publications, 

 more especially those of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, 

 the Victorian, Tasmanian, and South Australian Royal Societies, 

 and the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria. One of the finds which 

 pleased him most in recent years was that of the only known 

 Australian Rhododendron (R. Lochce), secured by Mr. Sayer on 

 Mount Bellenden-Kerr, in Queensland. 



His invaluable " Systematic Census of Australian Plants," the 

 second edition of which was published in 1889, serves to show 

 the extent of his labours, not only in adding to the known flora, 

 but in elucidating the geographical distribution of all Australian 

 species. Right up to the end he was at work ; indeed, his last 

 communication — a note on Boronia floribunda — was read at the 

 September meeting of the Linnean Society, N.S.W., only ten days 

 before his death. 



