PEOCEEDINGS, AUGUST. xlv 



Victoria and the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia, Victorian 

 branch, to promote an expedition to the South Pole at the earliest 

 practical date, and embodying a letter from the committee to Sir 

 Erasmus Ommanney, the secretary of the British Association Antarctic 

 Committee, expressing the hope that the efforts of that association 

 might speedily receive the reward they deserve, and giving details 

 of the work done in Australia and the end in view. 



The President said the matter would now rest very much with the 

 British Association, and the next step would be the decision of that 

 body. 



PLANTS, 



The Secretary SHbmitted a paper by Baron von Mueller on some plants 

 new to Tasmania, and others found in new localities. The plants 

 referred to by the Baron were BeUndena montana, Richea 2^cmdanifoUa, 

 Prionotes cerinthoicUs, Richea Gimni, Donatia novce-Zealandice, Milli- 

 aania dentiflora, Potamogeton Gheesemanii, Spo'^obolus virginious, 

 Biploderma glanoum, Castoreum raduahirn. 



Mr. Perbin read the following notes on the plants referred to by the 

 Baron : — 



Notes on some new plants (Sporoholus virginius) not previously described 

 as found in Tasmania, with notes on the distribution of Richea, Pandani- 

 folia, R. Gunnii, Bellendena, Montana, and other plants described by Baron 

 Von Miieller : — 



Spm'obolus Virginius, recently found near the entrance of the Tamar, by 

 Miss Oakden. 



This plant has been recoi'ded by E. Brown in his Prodromus, but has 

 been unaccountably missed from Australian and Tasmanian botanical 

 publications. 



R. Brown in his Prodromus describes this plant as being very closely 

 allied to the species of the Natural Order, Graminece (herbs and gi'asses 

 chiefly), Agrostis, and originally described as Agrostis Virginicce, but which 

 on further examination was subsequently referred to Agrostis Diandra. 



Brown, however, describes three species (3) ; — 

 Sporoholus Indicus 

 „ elongatus 



„ pidchellus 



The information upon these plants is somewhat scant ; on referring, 

 however, to Robert Brown's works, as published by the Royal Society, I 

 find the following : — 



In a list of Indian plants, extracted from a numbered list of dried 

 specimens in the East India Company's Museum, which had been collected 

 under the superintendence of Dr. Wallick, and numbered consecutively 

 3,764, 3,765 in the catalogue, appear as Sporoholus coromandelianus. 

 Sporoholus diander. 



These are Indian specimens of the natural order Graminece, and may 

 perhaps be identical with two of those mentioned in the Prodromus ; but 

 not having any specimens to guide me I am unable to determine the species 

 from the description given. 



In a note attached to the catalogue on the two Indian species just given, 

 Dr. Wallick says : — "Mr. Brown having xmdertaken the elaboration of the 

 grasses, the specific names which are wanting will be supplied hereafter by 

 that gentleman, who has in the meantime furnished this provisional list of 

 the family." 



To this is added the following editorial note, 



[As this intention was never earned out those names only are quoted 

 which have Mr, Brown's authority attached to them, — Ed.] 



From this it wovdd appear that this species of plant had not received the 

 fuU attention fi^om the early botanists they deserved. 



Mr. Bentham, however, iu his " Flora Australiensis/' says, page 450 : — 



