94 R. H. CAMBAGE. 



Acacia which occurs also in America, Asia, Africa, and 

 intervening islands, is A. Famesiana, and as it seemed 

 doubtful that its existence antedated the final separation 

 of the great tropical lands, an experiment was made to see 

 whether seeds of this species would retain their vitality in 

 sea- water long enough for it to be possible for them to 

 survive an ocean journey between these continents and 

 islands. A pod with seeds of Acacia Famesiana from 

 Boomarra, north of Oloncurry, in tropical Queensland, was 

 placed in a bottle of sea- water, and it sank in a few days 

 or after the water entered the pod. Free fertile seeds of 

 this species will sink immediately. At the end of three 

 months the seeds were taken out, and found to be in a 

 perfectly sound condition, and after being placed in boiling 

 water, four were planted. In about two weeks one of the 

 seeds germinated, producing a healthy plant. At the end 

 of three months one of the remaining seeds was taken out 

 of the ground, placed in boiling water and replanted. In 

 two weeks this germinated, and produced the plant shown 

 in Plate XII. 



Seeds of the same species, collected by Sir William Oullen 

 near Barcaldine in Central Queensland, were perfectly 

 sound after having been left in sea-water for five months. 

 After 146 days, two of the seeds were taken out and planted 

 after having been placed in boiling water, and both ger- 

 minated readily. At the end of 190 days another seed was 

 taken out, and was so hard and sound that when dropped 

 into a cup from a height of nine inches it bounced out of 

 the cup. This seed was at once planted, after having been 

 placed in boiling water, and germinated readily. 



These experiments demonstrate that seeds of A. 

 Famesiana will retain their vitality in sea-water long 

 enough to be transported by an ocean current for thousands 

 of miles. It would probably be necessary however that 



