152 Excursion to National Park. [vor'xxxi 



for seedlings of Cyathea Ciinninghami, a tree-fern which most 

 of us saw for the first time in a state of nature ; and, though 

 full-grown specimens twenty to forty feet high were fairly 

 abundant, and thousands of seedlings of Dicksonias and 

 Alsophilas, the other two tree-ferns, could be seen alongside 

 the track, only a solitary specimen which appeared to be a 

 Cyathea was detected. Was it want of experience, or is the 

 Cyathea a relic of past times, for no Cyatheas were seen under 

 fifteen to twenty feet high. The absence of the Silver Wattle 

 along the track, and, in fact, the few acacias recorded for the 

 National Park, is one of its sti iking features to one used to the 

 mountain-sides nearer Melbourne. During the trip to Oberon 

 Bay the Common Heath, Epacris impressa, was flowering freely, 

 but nearly always stunted, and almost smothered by the 

 adjacent vegetation. Trailing on the sand-hills along the coast, 

 Lotus aiistralis, with its pretty pink pea-shaped flowers was 

 conspicuous in several places. The final day of our stay was 

 devoted to the upper Tidal River, where a track had recently 

 been opened into a fern gully, which proved to be one of 

 Nature's fairylands. Though we were unable to get very far 

 up the gully, some five-and-twenty species of ferns were noted, 

 the feature of the gully being the wonderful growth of a 

 Polypodium which seems to agree with P. scandens, but as 

 that species and P. pustulatum are so closely allied, and, in 

 fact, seem to run into one another, it can only be provisionally 

 recorded as new for the Park. However, Aspidiitin decom- 

 positum was found here, which has not yet been recorded for 

 the Park, and another record is the variety bipinnatifida of 

 Lomaria discolor, of which many fine plants were seen. The 

 Polypodium not only grew on the tree-trunks up to twenty 

 feet" above the ground, but covered large areas of the ground 

 to the exclusion of other species. These additions bring the 

 fern flora of the Park up to thirty-six species, or just half the 

 Victorian list : but no doubt other species could I)e added if 

 more time were available." 



The total cost of our eight days' trip, which includes railway 

 fare, hire of pack horses, tents, provisions, &c., and camp 

 assistant, amounted to £2 i8s. 4d. per member, or at the rate 

 of 7s. 3^d. per day. 



In conclusion, I desire to express my thanks and those of 

 the party to Mr. J. G. O'Donoghue, whose assistance and 

 advice throughout the trip was greatly appreciated, and to 

 Messrs. J. Shephard, J. Barr, J. G. O'Donoghue, 0. W. Rosen- 

 hain, and B. L. Stanton for the loan of most of the photographs 

 used to illustrate this report. — J as. A. Kershaw. 



