CONTRIBUTION TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OP PAPUAN FLORA. 9 



In 1876-7 Mr. Andrew Goldie, first in conjunction with 

 the Rev. Dr. McFarlane and, in a later expedition, by himself, 

 forwarded collections of plants to Baron Mueller, which were 

 described by the Baron in his " Descriptive Notes," vol. i, Nos. 

 3, 4, and 5. 



During 1875-7 the famous explorer Signor D'AlbertLs 

 conducted explorations up the Fly River and made important 

 collections. These were determined in part by Dr. O. Beccari 

 in D'Albertis' " New Guinea," vol. ii, pp. 391-400, and in part 

 by Baron Mueller in " Descriptive Notes " (vol. i, Nos. 4 and 5). 

 Some of his plants are also described in Beccari's " Malesia." 



In 1884 the Argus and the Age (Melbourne newspapers) 

 sent special commissioners to Papua to report upon its resources 

 and capabilities for settlement. The Argus Expedition was 

 commanded by Mr. W. E. Armit, an officer of the Queensland 

 Native Police ; he was a true plant-lover, and his specimens 

 were referred to by Mueller in odd numbers of the '" Victorian 

 Naturalist" for the year 1885. 



During 1884-1887 Theodore Bevan conducted several 

 expeditions to totally unexplored or little-known parts. His 

 collection of plants was briefly noted by Mueller in " Proceedings 

 of the Linnean Society of N.S.W.," vol. ii, n.s. 



During the same period the Rev. Jas. Chalmers forwarded 

 to Baron Mueller several small collections. These were noted 

 by Mueller in his '' Descriptive Notes " Nos. 6-8. 



In 1885, H. 0. Forbes, well known as an explorer through 

 having conducted expeditions in Sumatra, Timor, and some of 

 the lesser- known islands of the Malayan Archipelago, visited 

 New Guinea for the purpose of exploring the Owen Stanley 

 Range. Unfortunately, owing to lack of funds and other 

 obstacles, Forbes was not able to realise his object, and a large 

 camp was established at Sogeri, where most of the collecting 

 was accomplished. The Monocotyledonous plants were 

 described by H. N. Ridley (Journal of Botany, vol. xxiv), but 

 the great bulk of Forbes's collections, sad to say, remaui 

 undetermined to this day, and odd references to new species 

 collected by Forbes are now and again met with in current 

 literature dealing with the flora of New Guinea. It is interest- 

 ing to record here that this Society, through the efforts of its 

 then hon. secretary (Mr. H. Tryon), was able to send to Forbes 

 the sum of £100 in aid of his work. 



