Doc, 1907.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 133 



floral change which might be expected. This similarity of vege- 

 tation on dissimilar geological areas is probably due to the fact 

 that, through the wearing down of Mt. Disappointment, the 

 Silurian is in many places deeply covered with the refuse from 

 denudation of the granite heights, so that on the silurian slopes 

 about the junction the soil has the same organic and inorganic 

 constituents as the granite slopes above. The same rich ferru- 

 ginous colour is through all. 



The Golden Wattle, Acacia pycnantha, seems to show a dis- 

 position to modify its foliage as the altitude of the habitat 

 increases. The highland plants, which are generally more sym- 

 metrical and handsome, have mostly dull bluish coloured and 

 often more pointed phyllodes as compared with the shining and 

 dark green pliylloded plants of the lowland. This blue-grey 

 " bloom," such as is found on plums, grapes, &c., was also seen 

 to be more pronounced on A. dealhata than on that species at 

 a lower altitude, and the appropriateness of the common name, 

 Silver Wattle, is readily appreciated. 



The foliage of A. pycnaoitha here and on other parts of the 

 Dividing Range is much eaten by insects. I remember that in 

 September, 1905, on the Black Spur, I searched over twenty 

 trees for a single small branchlet with entire phyllodes, but 

 failed, to such an extent had these trees been attacked. Here in 

 June A. pycnantha was in bloom, but the development of the buds 

 is slow, for in the report of the excursion in January, 1900, Mr. 

 Barnard states this species was then already in bud. 



Owing to an error in identification, Acacia spinescens is included 

 in the report just referred to among the plants noted, but this, 

 Mr. Barnard informs me, is a mistake, and the name Amperea 

 spartioides should be substituted. Why Mr. Barnard in his notes 

 spoke of the presence of the larger grass-tree, Xanthorrhcea 

 australis, as indicating increased altitude is not clear, for in 

 other parts of the State lowland areas vegetated largely by 

 X. australis are at a very slight elevation above the sea, as at 

 Point Lonsdale, Wilson's Promontory, Cape Otway, &c. 



The best time of the year in which to see the plants of the 

 Plenty Ranges in bloom would be during September and October 

 for the north side and October and November for the southern 

 slopes. Mr. Barnard's collection of thirty species, during two 

 days' tramp in early October {Vict. Nat, xiv., p. 99), at first 

 sight suffers in comparison with the record of forty species 

 collected or noted by Messrs. Barnard and Tisdall during three 

 days in January, when presumably all seen were noted. But 

 probably in his October collecting Mr. Barnard pursued his usual 

 plan of bringing to the wild flower exhibition many specimens of 

 a less than possible number of species, in order to have an 

 effective exhibit, and only these species were recorded. Unless 



