37 



partially or completely altered by tlie influence of central 

 teat, and which have become exposed by long-continued pro- 

 cesses o£ sub-aeriel denudation. The Metamorphic rocks are 

 themselves invaded by porphyrites. Among the isolated patches 

 of Upper Palaeozoic rocks are remnants of a Devonian forma- 

 tion of limestones and conglomerates, as at Bendi and other 

 localities. The Tertiary basalts occupy mostly elevated posi- 

 tions, forming indeed parts of the lofty plateau before referred 

 to. They appeared to be the remnants of extensive lava flows, 

 filling up the valleys excavated during the Miocene period, 

 while the ancient ridges have in many places become the sites 

 of the present river valleys by the extensive denudation and 

 erosion which subsequently took place. Along the course of 

 the principal streams are deposits of Tertiary gravels all more 

 or less auriferous. The Tertiary formations which fringe the 

 mountain mass on either side do not appear to rise on their 

 flanks to a greater -height than 800 feet above the present sea 

 level ; or, in other words, the maximum level in respect to the 

 mountain mass at which the sea has stood during Cainozoic 

 time, or the total elevation of the land above sea level during 

 that period. 



In order that local collections of indigenous plants may be 

 made scientifically valuable for future phytographic researches, 

 it seems to me that more atteution to the precise locality 

 should be noted, so that as the areas become geologically 

 mapped, the formations upon which any given species pre- 

 dominates may be traced out, and by this means aid in 

 determining how far varieties of plants are due to geological 

 or meteorological agencies. As far as our alpine representa- 

 tives of the order under consideration are concerned, it seems 

 probable that they are confined to the granitic and Silurian 

 areas. It is much to be regretted that many of the names 

 given to prominent peaks of our Australian Alps by our dis- 

 tinguished botanist. Baron von Mueller, during his early 

 botanical explorations, and published in that grand standard 

 work, the " Flora Australiensis," have been subsequently 

 arbitrarily altered, thus leading to confusion in tracing out 

 the stations of any particular species. 



As far as known at present our alpine Proteaceous plants 

 are endemic in these elevated regions, and I would remark, en 

 passant, that it may be interesting to South Australian 

 botanists to determine how far our alpine species may be 

 correlated with any South Australian species under different 

 climatic and geologic conditions. Most of the species herein 

 referred to occur in the catchment basins of the Mitta Mitta 

 and Hume Eivers, both source affluents of the Murray Eiver. 



Of the ProteacesB as a whole, the researches of Baron 



