and Agricultural Seeds into Victona. 155 



tance of setting a movement of the sort on foot, but woiikl suggest that you 

 should cndeavDur to sccuie the co-opci-atioii of the Royal Society of Victoiia ; 

 in whose name apjilicatious might he made witli a greater amount of weight, 

 and under whose auspices the best mode of proceeding might be ai'rangeil. 



The aid also of the Legislature would seem to be needed, as the collection 

 and transmission eren of' sefdn would entail considerable trouble and ex- 

 l>ense, which it would scarcely be sutiicient to meet by holding out a prospect 

 of reciprocity hereafter. 



" I am, Sir, j-our obedient servant, 



"0. F. TiMiNS, Private Secretary. 

 " Mr. William Lockhart Morton." 



It is only Avitliin tlie last few days that I have learned that 

 in the year 1854' a society was formed in Prance, and daring 

 the past year, one in England, for attaining the same ohjects 

 as those embodied in the foregoing snggestions. I do not now 

 think that it will he necessary to organize such a society here, 

 if this Society will agree to take the matter up, or form a 

 section for that purpose; in which case immediate communi- 

 cation might be entered into with the French and English 

 societies. But, even if this should be done, I think it would 

 nevertheless be desirable to follow up the suggestions which 

 I had the honour of ottering to His Excellency, ])ecause they 

 seem to point out the best channel for obtaining the most 

 full information; and, as other existing societies may possibly 

 not have thought of the same means, a vast amount of valu- 

 able information may be thereby gathered, for their use as 

 well as for ours. 



It may be thought that in Australia there are very few 

 animals or seeds Avhich could be given in exchange for those 

 of other countries; but, if Australian productions are deficient 

 in intrinsic value, they make up for that Avant in their singu- 

 larity. There are in Australia more useful plants and animals, 

 however, than common observers are awai'e of. Throughout 

 tropical and extropical Australia are several plants which may 

 hereafter be regarded as highly valuable for their medicinal 

 virtues. Amongst the feathered tribes, the genus Columba 

 is well represented. Perhaps the largest and smallest varieties 

 of pigeons to be found in the world are natives of this conti- 

 nent. In the Wonga Wonga we have a pigeon nearly equal 

 in size to the common fowl, while there is another sort so 

 small that it resembles the house sparrow. These, and some 

 other varities, as well as a small pheasant, might be domes- 

 ticated. They could be easily obtained from Uoekhampton. 

 There is also to be got the brush turkey, which, like our own 

 loweu, lays its eggs in heaps of sand, mixed with vegetable 



