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of the mainland of Australia could yet be traced into areas of 

 Tasmania; now nearly 3,000 species of Cryptogams being 

 known from extra-tropical Australia, a large share of these 

 from collections formed by myself and by contributing 

 friends since 1847. While t® the phanerogamic flora of 

 Tasmania it is not likely any very large access will be gained, 

 unless from King's and Flinders' Islands, and the smaller 

 isles of IJass' Straits, it may be predicted with confidence 

 that the number of mosses, lichens, and algse of Tasmania 

 will be stijl considerably augmented by assiduous and perse- 

 vering searches, and the number of fungi hitherto on record 

 (and to which absolutely nothing has been added since 

 Gunn's and Archer's exertions) might yet be doubled, if not 

 even tripled. It is then to the fungi particularly that I 

 would draw the attention of Tasmanian collectors, inasmuch 

 as unlike the phanerogamic flora, the mycologic treasures of 

 any country remain almost inexhaustible, fungi of many kinds 

 occurring only at long intervals, at particular seasons, for very 

 short whiles, and under capricious circumstances, whereas 

 also frequently additions to the fungus-flora will occur by 

 reason of the subtility of spores adherent to articles imported 

 by trans-oceanic commerce. Thus, a fruitful field for research 

 in this direction is still open also in Tasmania ; and I would 

 invoke the kind aid of any settlers who have taste for science, 

 to gather, around their homes or in their travels, anv kind of 

 fungus which at any particular time may appear in any 

 special locality. The process of drying' fungi, even the 

 brittle and succulent mushrooms of various kinds, is not 

 difiicult ; such plants require merely to be placed near a fire, 

 suspended in a little calico bag or net, after being sprinkled 

 with kerosene to prevent the development of insects in the 

 specimens. If some talented hand, especially that of ladies, 

 will furnish coloured drawings along with the dried samples, 

 the value of the collection would become greatly enhanced. 



In these times of great efforts for general education each 

 civilised country is striving to obtain a complete record of its 

 natural productions ; and the study of plants with all its 

 utilitarian advantages, and all the intelligent pleasures which 

 it affords, is cultivated now almost in all European schools 

 from books gradually arisen through original field-researches. 

 To keep pace with the progress of times in this respect on the 

 other side of the globe, it is sought to complete the Universal 

 Australian Floral Eecords, in which fungi must play an 

 important role also, not to speak of mosses, lichens, and algae, 

 apt to be overlooked by amateur collectors, without whose aid 

 no exhaustive searches can be made. If we turn even to the 

 vegetation of trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, sedges, etc., it may 

 be assumed that about half a hundred could yet be added to 



