78 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. [^^Sepu^'" 



PAPERS. 



1. By Prof. A. J. Ewart, D.Sc, entitled "The Flora of the 

 Victorian Alps," with Botanical Report by Mr. J. W. Audas. 



The author called attention to the more frequent orders 

 among the alpine plants, and briefly summarized the work pre- 

 viously done. He stated that the objects of the trip were an ex- 

 amination of the economic plants of the locality about Bright 

 and Harrietville, and southerly to Mt. St. Bernard, and an 

 investigation into the spread of the introduced weed, " St. John's 

 Wort." Prof. Ewart took the opportunity to again remind 

 members of the advantage of consulting the National Herb- 

 arium before recording names of plants in scientific publications, 

 and gave instances of misnomers which had got into print in 

 connection with the flora of the Alps and the Grampians. 



Mr. J. W. Audas then read some notes concerning the more 

 interesting plants collected during the trip. 



In the discussion which followed, Mr. D. JMcAlpine remarked 

 that the paper was a comprehensive one, but that the author 

 had omitted any reference to fungi, lichens, and mosses. 

 Mr. F. Pitcher thought that the tendency was to visit the alpine 

 country at certain times only, and even then only plants which, 

 through flowering, caught the eye, were recorded, and that a 

 survey of such an area would require the seasonal gaps to be filled 

 in. This was, he thought, the cause of many plants being 

 omitted from earlier lists. The list as now augmented and 

 brought up to date was an interesting and welcome one. Mr. 

 A. D. Hardy noticed that Acacia pravissinia was described as 

 " the Ovens or Alpine Acacia," and reminded members that he 

 had found a small grove of it growing luxuriantly about 12 or 

 15 feet high on the Buxton road, Acheron Valley, and also re- 

 ferred to the great confusion of Victorian eucalypts. E. Sieher- 

 iana, called Mountain Ash, for instance, was more widely known 

 as " Gum-top " or " Silver- top Ironbark " ; but there was con- 

 fusion amongst the scientific as well as the common names of 

 these important trees. 



Prof. Ewart replied that his quest had been for flowering 

 plants, and this had taken all their time ; but that on a future 

 occasion any enthusiastic student of the cryptogamic flora would 

 be welcomed as a member of the party, and that there was at 

 present a strong effort being made to reduce the chaotic state 

 of the genus Eucalyptus to something less bewildering. 



2. By Mr. R. W. Armitage, entitled " Notes on the Country 

 about West Essendon." 



The author gave a brief outline of his paper, which dealt with 

 the different geological features adjacent to the Horseshoe Bend 

 at West Essendon, and exhibited some fine rock sections under 

 the microscope in illustration of his remarks. 



