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The South Australian Naturalist. 125 



theory of "age and area," as applicable to the whole realm of 

 living beings, and so may form a valuable contribution to gen- 

 eral knowledge. As an active body of field naturalists, with 

 many younger members probably looking for useful avenues 

 along which to direct their energies, cannot we do something 

 to ascertain this distribution of our plants? Most assuredly 

 and with comparative ease. Moreover, what we do will be 

 almost forever a living monument to the section. Each indi- 

 vidual mem])er can collect, pi'ess, and fully label specimens of 

 plants from the localities he visits ; he or she can specially jour- 

 ney during holiday time to places further afield than our usual 

 excursions take us ; we can each write to friends in country 

 districts asking them to collect, press, and label plants and send 

 them to us ; we can interest country schools and scholars in 

 the work and get them to assist. Let us start at once and from 

 time to time at our meetings discuss the interesting develop- 

 ments that are bound to arise as group after group is revised 

 and tabulated. 



All this means that we are going to have an herbarium, 

 and moreover an herbarium that will soon be very extensive 

 and one of the largest — and, may we hope, best — in the State. 

 This will require housing, and arrangements can, it is almost 

 certain, be made for its accommodation in the University. This 

 entails also co-ordination. The plants and all information 

 must be sorted and tabulated. Each species will require an 

 index card for the records of its distribution, and the specimens 

 believed to belong to any particular species will require careful 

 inspection by an expert botanist before they are ''passed.'^ 

 To do all this, the work must be divided up, and it is proposed 

 to take first of all some of the "families" that are likely ta 

 prove of particular interest and to place in charge of each 

 some senior member with botanical knowledge who will be 

 responsible for the proper working of the family. To such 

 "keepers" of particular groups of plants will be allocated 

 two energetic and active assistants. It is for volunteers to act 

 as such assistants that Ave now call. The assistants, under the 

 direction of the keeper, will help in collecting material (as we 

 hope all members will do), will assist in drafting this and in 

 making the records on the cards and will enter into correspon- 

 dence with schools and persons in the country likely to render 

 assistance. Each assistant will, it is hoped, attach to himself 

 or herself one or more cadets, who under their direction will 

 still further extend our activities. Thus should not only be 

 extended a healthy knowledge of our plants, but also the mem- 

 bervship of the section. 



