THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 127 



these trees were the oldest inhabitants of the land seems never to 

 have occurred either to public or private individual. They seem 

 to have been regarded merely as profitable sources for the fire- 

 wood dealers. The final touch in the matter of officially ignoring 

 the giant trees of Victoria was given during the last International 

 Exhibition in Melbourne, when the representative of the United 

 States requested the Government to guide him to one of the 

 forests, so that he might see a specimen of our giant trees. He 

 was officially informed by one of our Executive Ministers that 

 we had no giant trees, and therefore it was of no use to conduct 

 him to any of the forests. 



In America the existence of such trees has been made a 

 profitable asset to the country, in being held out as an incentive 

 to tourists to visit them. Here we have had an equally valuable 

 asset, but for the sake of the few hundred pounds which might be 

 necessary to clear sufficient space around the well-known ones to 

 protect them from the ravages of bush fires, or to offer as rewards 

 for the discovery of fresh examples, this grand asset has almost 

 slipped away from us. Want of means can be no excuse, for 

 nearly one million of money was spent on the Exhibition referred 

 to — with what result ! 



The question arises — Is it yet possible to revive an interest in 

 our few remaining giants? I think it would be still possible to 

 gather much information, for purposes of record, before the few 

 remaining giants finally pass away. If an association of persons 

 interested were to meet periodically, and by correspondence or 

 visits to the forests get together such information as may be 

 procurable, it might then be published, either officially or privately. 

 To allow this generation to pass away, and with it much of the 

 knowledge of these giants, of whose age and history we know so 

 little, would be a disgrace to a people priding themselves on the 

 advanced state of their civilization. Without doubt in future 

 years scientific men in all parts of the world, when studying the 

 varied aspects of plant-life, will come across references to the 

 giant trees which once existed in Victoria, and will send to our 

 grandchildren, or may be our great grandchildren, for authentic 

 records of the same. Finding they can get no satisfactory 

 information, they will naturally conclude that the so-called giant 

 trees existed only in our imagination, and originated in the early 

 days from stories told us by the aboriginals. 



Geologists might possibly be able to tell us something of the 

 causes which have led to the production of such magnificent 

 examples of the vegetable world. Possibly one or two facts 

 which have come under my notice may be of help in this direc- 

 tion. The altitude above sea-level at which they grow has now been 

 pretty well determined. Near the coast we find them, as a rule, 

 at from 300 to 600 feet above sea-level, especially in the Gipps- 



