Australian Meeting of the British Association. 59 
leaved form) were large numbers of the now familiar tree-ferns, 
while smaller fern types and numerous mosses occupied the moist 
ground space. 
The Bulli and Cataract Dam expedition, passing near enough 
to the shore of Botany Bay to give a glimpse of the monument 
commemorating Captain Cook’s landing place, followed a coast 
road to Bulli, affording opportunity of seeing in sheltered dips 
typical “ brush ” flora composed of Malayan rather than Australian 
types. Here and there en route the landscape flamed with the 
brilliant flowers of the Coral tree (Erytlirina, Leguminosze) planted 
around homesteads or in orchards, the leafless branches one glory 
of scarlet clusters. The tree vegetation of the brush is very varied, 
and Eucalyptus, as a rule, forms no part of it. Tree-ferns, of course, 
are abundant. One characteristic brush type was found in flower, 
viz., the strongly scented Sassafras ( Doryphora sassafras, Monimi- 
aceae), a tree with white down-turned flowers. Ceratopetalum 
gummiferum (Cunoniaceae), the well-known Christmas bush which 
is much in request at Christmas time for decoration purposes, was 
also met with. A striking element of the vegetation in this coastal 
region is the well-known Cabbage Palm ( Livistoua australis). The 
introduced Lantana camara was seen in one or two places ; where 
the brush is opened up this plant spreads so rapidly as to become 
a pest. Near Waterfall the Giant Lily, Doryanthes excelsa (Amaryl- 
lidaceae), was conspicuous with its large radical tuft of sword-shaped 
leaves and its tall stem 10 to 15 feet high bearing a cluster of red 
flowers. To speed relentlessly on across a stretch of high level 
ground—a real paradise of flowers—was most tantalising, but 
botanists present by courtesy on an engineers’ expedition must 
bow to time-table exigencies, and we could but glimpse the plants 
as we passed rapidly by them. Conspicuous among new types was 
the purple-flowered Mirbelia speciosa (Leguminosae). At the Dam 
itself the pretty pink Boronia ledifolia (Rutaceas) was abundant. 
It was too early to obtain the gorgeous Waratah ( Telopea specios- 
sisima, Proteaceae) in flower, though the plant was seen both on 
this and the previous expedition. 
A much longer time than most botanical members were able 
to compass could well have been spent in the beautiful Botanic 
Garden at Sydney. Many, however, managed to explore it in 
some degree and to enjoy the kind hospitality of Mr. J. H. Maiden, 
the Director. All botanists indeed visiting Sydney owed to Mr. 
Maiden a deep debt of gratitude for the immense amount of time 
