XX 



LEAF IMPRESSIONS. 



Mr. L. ilodway stated that lie had planted some seed of the 

 Eucalyptus risdoni in his garden, which, as they grew, departed 

 ujore and mor« from the type, until they .became indistinguish- 

 able from the peppermint gum. From this lie argued that it 

 was very untrustworthy to classify fossil plants according to 

 their leaf impressions. At last meeting he had shown about 

 a dozen specimens of the cominon daisy tree, all of which show- 

 ed mai-ked differences. It was a matter of great importance, 

 from the scientific point of view, to be able to take the life-his- 

 tory ol' a plant, and see how long it had continued in its present 

 form and what it had descended from. It had generally been 

 believed that when bordered pits were found in fossil wood 

 they irdicated that it belonged to the conifers, but exactly the 

 same thing was found in the native pepper tree, which belong- 

 ed to the magnolias. It was also supposed that the fern-like 

 impressions found in carboniferous strata were made by the 

 fronds of the ancestors of present-day ferns, but there was rea- 

 son for believing that these ancient fern-like plants were 

 really the predecessors of our piesent flowering plants, and 

 v,'ere not true ferns at all. The oaks and saxifrages belonged to 

 different families, but it was difficult to tell their leaves apart. 

 There was one resemblance he particularly wished to draw at- 

 tention to, and that was in regard to a Dracophyllum or heath, 

 a Stylidium or trigger plant, and a plant belonging to a genus 

 of the compositae. 11' barren joieces of these three plants were 

 placed before a botanist, he could not tell which was which. 

 These plants were not only not of the same species, but belong- 

 ed to three very distinct families. The native Richeas belonged 

 to the heath tribe, though no one would dream that such was 

 tlie case from a study of their leaves. It had been stated that 

 the Eucalyptus had been traced b;ick to the cretaceous period. 

 Personally, he thought that the eucalypts were a very recent 

 family, and lie pointed out that the similarity of the leaf of the 

 eucalyptus and angoplioi'a lendered it impossible to say to w^hicli 

 leaf impressions belonged. He thought that it was a misfortune 

 that students of palseo-botany had proceeded so much on the 

 lines of the study of animal remains. Plants were much more 

 plastic, and did not run along the same phylogenetic lines as 

 animals. 



GENERAL. 



Professor Flynn exhibited a piece of a bone from one of thf 

 h.rge marsupials that formerly inhabited Tasmania. 



Mr. L. G. Irby, collector For the Technological Museum, 

 Sydney, who is gathering material in this State, gave a short 

 accoTint of his woi'k here. 



SEPTEMBER 9, 1912. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Royal Society was held 

 at the Musocim. Hon. G. H. Butler presided, and there was 

 a moderate attendance of members 



