253 



Not on© of his predecessors has shown anything like the sympathy 

 he has with our object, but a strong Society is needed to see 

 that the law is carried out when made. The Kangaroo Protec- 

 tion Act, for instance, has been violated systematically for years 

 by the cupidity of the ignorant. The Birds Protection Act every- 

 where needs volunteer observers to enforce its provisions and a 

 central authority to meet the cost of and enforce prosecutions. 

 In the botanical section of knowledge there is an enormous field 

 for the propagation of knowledge to prevent the utter disappear- 

 ance of many species of the greatest importance to the world of 

 knowledge. It appears to me that a Society for the Conservation 

 of our Fauna and Flora is~greatly needed, and with the increased 

 public interest which we have done our best to cultivate in the 

 past ample funds could be obtained by appealing to rich Aus- 

 tralians. Such a Society could by the appointment of life mem- 

 bers and annual subscriptions obtain an income sufficient to pub- 

 lish literature, encourage original observation and experiments, 

 undertake prosecutions, and when the Flinders Chase is in the 

 hands of trustees stock it with birds and animals and cultivate 

 plants now nearing extinction. 



Visitors to Australia, if scientists, note the amazing absence 

 of native plants, shrubs, and trees. The suggested Society could 

 by obtaining seeds and plants for public parks and private gar- 

 dens wipe off this reproach. It is never realized how near to 

 extinction some representative species are. A notable example 

 is Newcastlia Dixoni, a dense-growing bush up to 4 ft. high, with 

 sage-like leaves. I found one single plant in a chain road near 

 Crystal Brook twenty-five years ago. Professor Tate subsequently 

 got a specimen from Cal Lai, New South Wales, and Baron Von 

 Miiller had a single leaf from north-west Victoria. Then there 

 is the Alexander palm confined to about 150 trees in Glen Helen 

 and the Western Australian eucalypti, such as E. ficifolia, E. 

 tetradptera, and E. fune rolls, are but very limited in distribu- 

 tion. The first and last were originally confined to a 

 square mile or two. Botanists are aware of many more equally 

 scarce. These instances suffice to illustrate the need of conserving 

 and cultivating our rarer plants. In the Melbourne Gardens 

 Mr. Guilfoyle collected many native species, and Mr. Maiden 

 is doing the same in Sydney ; but anything like an adequate col- 

 lection of the flowers, shrubs, and trees I have not seen in any 

 State in Australia. I hope Australia will yet produce a garden- 

 ing genius Avho will utilize the amazing potentiality for producing 

 unequalled landscape beauties by grouping such extraordinary 

 contrasts of growths, foliage, and colour as are to be obtained 

 from the wonderful variety in each State of Australia. In our 

 State take the Exocarpos, vulgarly native-cherry. What greater 

 contrast could be desired than E. cupressiformis, with E. stricta 

 and E. sparta, the latter very abundant at Streaky Bay, ite 

 long pendant twigs forming a veritable cataract of pale-green 

 gracefully waving in the breeze? Then again the wattles. What 

 glorious contrasts exist between the desert forms, all spines and 

 thorns, and the broad phylodes of A. pymantha , the brilliant 

 bluish grey foliage of A. spillerani, and the Queensland A. podaly- 

 riacfoUa. The drooping foliage of the scented Myal, A. pendula, as 

 upright as a Lombardy poplar, in outline up to 30 ft. in height; or 

 the Broughton willow A. salicina contrasted with A. dealbata 

 or A. decurrens, and the stiff spare foliage of A. anew a (mulga). 



