THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST, 215 
in conjunction with its morphology. A study of the ef- 
fects produced on plants by environmental conditions 
comes well within the province of the observant Field- 
Naturalist, to whom a cursory examination of the flora of 
the Str ands or Salt-marsh, will disclose characters in the 
various habitues of these regions which have palpably 
been developed to meet the exceptional conditions obtain- 
ing in their chosen habitat. The adaptations of plants to 
the exigencies of existence in an aquatic element can well 
be studied by the aquarium keeper in conjunction with 
its piscatoral inhabitants, or a very small artificial pond 
will provide an opportunity for observation of the charac- 
teristic growth and development of our ‘‘Sun-dews’’ and 
‘Bladder-worts,’’ and other quaint forms of Pond vege- 
tation. The geographical distribution of our indigenous 
flora, with special reference to local species with a limited 
range, and the fixation of their occasionally well defined 
boundaries, might, in conjunction with the domiciliary 
preference of plants for certain geological formations, 
yield a considerable amount of interesting data to the 
worker who would undertake the task. The natural in- 
stinct of the gardener—-our common heritage—might be 
devoted to testing the adaptability of our native plants 
to changes of environment. Mr. Shiress—our genial Sec- 
retary—has, I understand, met with a considerable amount 
of success in this field of work. The manner in which 
plants extend their boundaries and colonise new terri- 
tories by means of their seeds, the dispersal of the latter 
by the agency of the wind, ocean currents, animals, and 
mechanical explosive devices, affords a wide scope for 
nature study. (We have in the National Herbarium an 
interesting collection of drift fruits, many of which were 
collected on our local beaches by Miss Lily Parkes.) The 
observations of a former President of this Society, Mr. A. 
G. Hamilton, supplemented by the earefully collected data® 
comprising the history of the pollination of Darwima fas- 
circularis Rudge, by Miss A. Brewster, has paved the way 
for similar work by nature students. In view of the numer- 
ous suggestions contained in the publication previously re- 
ferred to (‘‘Botany for Australian Students’), it is un- 
necessary fo deal at length with the opportunities for inter- 
esting field work open to our members, the results of which 
