OCT 6 - 1927 
PREPAGE. 
Tuis book originated in a catalogue the author had prepared of 
such specimens obtained from plants indigenous in Australia as 
were in the Museum. But as the work proceeded new specimens 
continued to arrive, and as it was found that the catalogue would, for 
that reason alone, never be complete, he decided to extend it, so 
as to include all Australian plants which up to the present are 
known to be of economic value, or injurious to man and domestic 
animals. ; 
The subdivisions of “Timbers,” ‘‘ Drugs,” ‘‘ Foods,” etc., 
are those which from experience he has found most convenient to 
Museum visitors. Under each of these sections the species have 
been arranged in alphabetical order. The practice of subdivision 
into sections has the drawback of causing a certain amount of 
repetition, which, however, the author has endeavoured to minimise 
by cross references, but its many advantages are at once apparent. 
At the end will be found a complete index of the whole of 
the botanical names (whether in use now or obsolete), and the 
vernacular and aboriginal names used throughout the book, 
together with a brief miscellaneous index. It is believed that the 
list of aboriginal and colonial names is the most complete which 
has been published up to the present time. Wherever possible, 
an endeavour has been made to indicate the locality in which a 
vernacular name is in use,as many of them are extremely local. 
It will be observed that some of the colonial names are very 
misleading, and the matter is sometimes rendered more difficult 
through the same name having been given to several plants. 
Many of the names, as might be expected, are those of European 
plants Australian ones are supposed to resemble. But as the flora 
of the two continents are very dissimilar, difficulties in giving 
them common names crop up very readily. A few of the names 
may prove to be erroneous, especially some of those attributed to 
Eucalypts, but the greatest care has been exercised, while the 
