THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



this respect, the good example set by the United States of 

 America, by New South Wales, and by New Zealand, and will 

 preserve this wild locality as a recreation ground for the colony. 



In other ways the Government has shown itself alive to the 

 importance of developing our natural resources by scientific 

 methods. Too much praise can scarcely be accorded to- the 

 boldness and scope of the scheme of irrigation for the Interior. 

 The effect in steadying, in extending, and in improving our 

 agricultural and pastoral industries cannot be calculated. With 

 a network of watercourses, as Baron von Mueller has pointed 

 out, the crops can not merely be grown, but can be also insured 

 against fire. For years, too, the Government botanist has strenu- 

 ously advocated not merely the maintenance of certain of our 

 present forests, but also the establishment of plantations of our 

 most important native, and of suitable imported, timbers. Vic- 

 toria, it is said, imports annually foreign timber to the value of over 

 ;!^i,ooo,ooo, and it is, perhaps, one of the countries of the world 

 best suited for the growth of serviceable timber. The Minister 

 of Lands has professed himself alive to the importance of 

 fostering this native industry, and, whatever may be our general 

 views on economic questions, few of us, I think, will be inclined 

 to object to the protection of our valuable forest trees. 



The deterioration of our fishing grounds and inadequate 

 supply of fish for even Melbourne consumption have made 

 themselves felt, and the Government have accordingly secured 

 the services of a highly-distinguished expert — Mr. Savile Kent 

 — who has been occupied in examining the condition of the 

 seas, lakes, and rivers of Victoria, and has already furnished 

 valuable reports, full of exact information, and pregnant with 

 suggestions for future culture. 



The office of Inspector of Fisheries has become vacant, and 

 it is to be hoped that the Government will follow up their wise 

 beginning by appointing a man of scientific training and wide 

 experience to superintend our fisheries, for no one else could be 

 capable of coping with the complicated problems which are 

 sure to arise, and which are ever changing their form from 

 season to season. Our knowledge of the distribution of the 

 food, of the enemies, and of the rivals, of our food-fishes and 

 edible Crustacea and moUusca is exceedingly scanty, and we 

 know next to nothing of the localities where our fish spawn. 

 To acquire this knowledge, which is essential to scientific fish- 

 culture, and, to meet special difficulties as they are encountered, 

 a properly qualified officer should be appointed. 



Here we may naturally turn to a good work which has been 

 initiated during the year by the Royal Society. That body has 

 appointed a committee to collect information as to the distri- 

 bution, life history, associations, and incidentally the commercial 

 value, of the life forms of Port Phillip, and, further, made a 



