20 
The Queensland Naturalist February, 1937 
NORTH QUEENSLAND— A NATURALISTS ’ 
PARADISE. 
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE N.Q. NATURALISTS ’ 
CLUB. 
By DR. H. FLECKER (Cairns). 
Presidential Address delivered at Annual Meeting of 
North Queensland Naturalists’ Club, Cairns, on Monday, 
12th October, 1936. 
I would have preferred to have addressed the club 
on some more useful and informative topic, taking, for 
instance, as a subject, the naming of objects of natural 
history, vernacular and biological, but your committee is 
of the opinion that such a subject as has been chosen 
above might prove more acceptable. 
That North Queensland is a particularly favourable 
locality for the natural history student is probably well 
understood, and has been so frequently stressed in numer- 
ous directions that I fear that any further emphasis on 
my part of this fact would lead to considerable boredom. 
There are, too, a limited number of people—evidently 
very limited, indeed, who take advantage of this fact, in- 
cluding some visitors from remote parts of the world, but 
it seems that the vast majority of the people, especially 
those resident in these parts, although taking this fact 
for granted, are quite indifferent, and if they visit the 
Reef at all, and many living all their lives in the North 
have not, would just as soon see the coral reef even at low 
tide from the deck of the steamer than wander over the 
Reef itself, and personally explore the magnificent range 
of material which can always be found at low tide. Such 
people are just as indifferent to the bush, whatever 
treasures it may contain, and these are quite content to 
remove every vestige of natural vegetation to make way 
for a garden, perhaps of crotons and acalyphas, nrecisely 
similar to that of almost every other householder and 
public body. The wonderful treasures then to most 
people are not at all appreciated. 
The various tourist bodies, no less than the numerous 
public authorities, are surely to blame for much of this 
state of affairs. The general impression is a desire to re- 
move the natural and to substitute the artificial, and the 
contempt for the bush flora is exceedingly widespread. 
Note the rarity of native vegetation in the public gardens 
and streets, and the general desire of local authorities to 
introduce trees already exceedingly well known in other 
parts. Look through the tourist literature and note the 
