115 



Tiioea semiplaua), tlie Scrub Sheaoak (Casuarina distyla), 

 Hakeas, and other proteaceous plants, and the fact that 

 Leptospermums and other inyrtaceous pla.nts grew here was 

 .always an assurance that the ground was amply supplied with 

 water. The season was too late for most orchids. The pro- 

 fessor pointed out a very rare one, Diuris sulphurea, which 

 until last year was not known westward of the South-Eastern 

 District. Mr. Tepper secured a specimen of Pterostylis rufa, 

 a sensitive orchid, otherwise only occurring in the mallee 

 regions. Professor Tate also drew attention to the most curious 

 ;and interesting Pterostylis barbata, which he roughly described 

 iis a flower resembling a hood-like trap with a shutter. Should 

 any small insect alight on this shutter, or irritable labellum, 

 it flew up and imprisoned the insect without hurting it. 

 Por a period of some twenty minutes it would be encased, and 

 by its efforts to escape would cover itself all over with the 

 pollen. At the expiration of the period mentioned, the tension 

 would be relaxed, and the fly escape, only to be caught by some 

 other orchid, where the pollen it had brought would be utilised 

 to secure cross fertilization. The higher slopes and the water- 

 fall were visited, which latter is formed by an escarpment of 

 •quartzose sandstone. The following plants were found, viz. : 

 — jSTative indigo (Indigofera australis). Verbena oflicinalis, 

 Cynoglossum australis and suaveolens, Meionectes Brownii, 

 and the rare Cyperus tenellus, only added to our flora in 18S2. 

 Kich fern banks were met with, and six species collected. 



At half -past 5 the party assembled at the Eailway Station, 

 find returned in a reserved carriage to town. 



Second Excuesion— DECEiiBER 8, 1883. 

 Between 60 and 70 members proceeded to Crafers by the 2 

 p.m. train in a reserved carriage. On arrival the party pro- 

 ceeded under the leadership of the Hon. Secretary, Mr. Pickels, 

 to the neighbourhood of Mount Lofty, when, after walking 

 about a mile. Prof. Tate called attention to the fact that they 

 w^ere now in the region of the stringybark forest, and indicated 

 the soft coarse-grained sandstone that appeared on the surface 

 of the stringybark country, and that so far as the Mount 

 Lofty Eanges were concerned, both were co-tcrminous. Of 

 the stringybarks, two species existed here, viz.. Eucalyptus 

 obliqua and E. capitellata. The sandstones rested luicoiifor- 

 mably upon the slaty rocks. Both had a dip to the south-cast, 

 but that of the former was much the less iuclined of the two, 

 and in consequence water was encountered all along the eastern 

 slope of the range in the form of springs issuing from the 

 junction of the two sets of beds. At the heads of gullies, 



