142 THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 
Incidentally it was noticed that another character wag 
exhibiting slight variation. jAs is well known the leaves 
and sepals of this species arrange themselves about the 
stalk in whorls of three. In two of the cases having 9 
component flowers, the leaves below the flower and the sepals 
of the flower itself appeared in whorls of four. It might be 
that further investigation would lead to the establishment of a 
correlation between the variation of the two characters. 
The relation of the above to the study of evolution will 
be apparent, and may serve as a very inadequate indication 
of the way in which the application of statistical methods 
to biological inquiry may reduce much that is vague to accur- 
ate statement. 
Easter Excursion, Brownsville.—Those of us who 
were so fortunate as to leave Sydney at midday on Thurs- 
day, 4th April saw the far flash of the sea in the afternoon 
sunlight and the deep purple shadows at the foot of sea cliff 
and mountain slope, as we journeyed to Brownsville. 
When we alighted at Kembla Grange, a benighted little rail- 
way platform the Sydney side of Dapto, we looked around 
on a scene of distinctive beauty. The purple shadows in 
the hollows of the green hills which flow in undulating lines 
from the mountains to the sea, the shining river which winds 
its way through Brownsville and the surrounding farms, 
the little village with its aggressively red church spire and 
over all the purpling mountain range all combined to make 
a picture of unusual beauty. Certainly, we had chanced 
on a land flowing with milk and honey, and a veritable land 
of promise to the artistic soul. But we, like Karshish, were 
“pickers up of learning’s crumbs,”’ and as naturalists looked 
out on it with other eyes besides those of the artist. Around 
us was the silent record of geological ages. In the crecks 
and amongst the scrub the Entomologist would find some- 
thing of interest, by Lake Illawarra, which shone like silver 
in the distance, the Ornithologist might hope to be rewarded 
for his journey, and the Botanist’s success was plainly as- 
sured. It was a long level road to Brownsville village, and 
a longer one to the boarding house beyond, and the muscu- 
lar brother naturalist who made the secretary his debtor by 
carrying a large share of his camp equipment has his name 
most favorably recorded with the gods, Perhaps notwith- 
standing our scientific research many good spirits still haunt 
the shady slopes and secluded spaces of that lovely land- 
scape, and create an atmosphere of kindness and goodwill. 
