52 



communicated. I venture to draw the attention of the Society also to 

 the remarkable fact that the fruit of the Donatia — a genus which I first 

 proved many years ago to exist also in Tasmania — remained unknown 

 up to the present day, although the original species was discovered ia 

 Fuegia fully a century ago, and then named and described by the two 

 Forsters, who went with Captain Cook in his second expedition. Perhaps 

 it is within the means of the Society to procure the needful material for 

 a record of the Donatia fruit in its journal, as the plant occurs near the 

 survey station on Mount Field, East, and would ripen its fruit in the 

 winter months. 



" Could your Koyal Society not kindly take it upon itself to procure 

 the Donatia fruit ? 



"Could the residents of Flinders Island be asked to send flower and 

 fruit specimens of the various Casuarinse from thence, so that the new 

 C. bicuspidata might be further studied ? 



"Water plants of any kind are also yet much wanted from your 

 territory." 



"Melbourne, 



"24th August, 1873. 



" I beg to send you a few supplementary notes to the essay forwarded 

 last week ; also a few specimens of the elegant Imperata arundinacea, 

 which R. Brown already", in 1810, recorded asTasmanian, without giving 

 the precise locality, but which no one ever collected again except Dr. 

 Story. 



" I imagine that so conspicuous and remarkable a plant might easily be 

 recognised by the members of your Society, and that thus, when once 

 their attention is directed to'it, they will trace out new localities of this 

 grass. Dr. Story's place of finding is clearly a diiferent one to that on 

 which R. Brown got his specimens. " 



The Secretary, after referring to the deep obligation under which the 

 Society felt themselves to the distinguished savant whose letters had 

 just been read, for his great and valuable contributions to the literature 

 of the Flora of Tasmania, proceeded to read the paper already alluded 

 to, entitled ' ' Contributions to the Phytography of Tasmania. " — By Baron 

 Ferd. von Mueller, CM. G., M.D., F.R.S., &c. 



Mr. Abbott read "Notes on Ancient Symbolisms, Naked-eye Observa- 

 tions, and Modern Astronomy." 



The usual vote of thanks having been passed, with special reference 

 to Baron von Mueller, the proceedings terminated. 



