116 



The Botany of Kangaroo Island, 



Prefaced hy a Histoi^ical Sketch of its Discovery and Settlement, 

 and hy Notes on its Oeology, 



By Professor Ealph Tate, E.a.S., E.L.S. &c. 

 [Read August 7, and September 4, 1883.] 



Introduction. 



The large size of Kangaroo Island suggests the question, 

 has it that amount of geographical independence which suffices 

 to produce a flora and fauna different from those of the main- 

 land ? In other words, are its floral and faunal constituents 

 distinct from the inhabitants of the adjacent continent ? "With 

 the exception of the flora little has been done to elucidate the 

 natural history of the island, though some of its animal 

 species are diagnostically known, yet I am not aware if any 

 other than a few conspicuous species have been recorded from 

 the mainland ; at any rate, no systematic comparison has been 

 undertaken. In respect to its flora the case is different, as 

 also that of the continent ; botanical records have been more 

 systematic, and in consequence the botanical geography of 

 Australia is very far in advance of its zoological geography. 

 Formerly, authors were content to speak of animal objects as 

 coming from New Holland or Australia ; and even now when 

 localities are given, it not infrequently happens that they are 

 widely inaccurate, so that it is, at the present time, hardly 

 possible to elaborate zoological provinces, or to bring into 

 co-ordination animal colonies with well-defined climatological 

 and botanical features. 



I am sorry to say that no help can be obtained from the 

 South Australian Museum in working out the question, has 

 Kangaroo Island any peculiar species of animals ? And the 

 Herbarium of our Phytologic Museum is similarly valueless as 

 concerns botanical information. 



It may be mentioned incidentally, that there doef< not exist 

 any connected account of the zoology of the island as resulting 

 from the observations or collections made by Mr. Waterhouse, 

 who spent there some months of the year 1861, in making col- 

 lections by command of the South Australian Government. 

 Some longicorn beetles would seem, however, to have fallen 



