bk ayaer Mad torr Aa’ aan ee divas reed Aaah dovgy ety sors Meio a sani hi ar et pi ‘ ia Hetty Ao Gat \ ij hen : | “i wits ties ; vip ait ooh i A \ iy we Wy eS ae cnn i nee ala) ist Ne 4 nt thea ati $e pon ik ie a cee ¢ sie ; ais cs Fath tal cai a ult! ite ae j ri Mia! Tide i ; + 4 ite oie aad fat Tha : WY pie r wy: vi eet ark vt den Weyl pti SLL 4 ‘ ii i : Po ‘ Salant iii ui wT TER pti al ah aie 1a ; ; . ihe igh ines Fata entry oe iis a ew A “ard Lp ete Rill ltt eal Ae teAcded adel ; pha Y ; ft aire Hy eee me yr ‘i mayo oe di ine ‘t | tifat cit A eile acinar RL ARG ni saddest pasta ale yoga ae i Meinl Wie - ae Hee i on cenit eh tap sae . A ap Mi See eee en ata thdott cbieube nt badeay A het hth Bad i. a hetyh HAG year cere ‘i aie wy ee Vas i ae mt itt me ie At Aaah et pags ti Hunter Niceataeeen feet 2 ; : + eee i ibis ey Heat ait ai de farm edad het id Pines it i aeep toh : ddeedens idea) Wile an +3 ot hel a isyet eaten Abad bi) ‘ 7" } rin nf ; 4h : Le nay 4 ihe Z rit be" ym : Aig i virie at bite cyt mi si yt eee i a at bees Vo i iris ca vi roy yh iar) Metts Myetgtenies aie ine ; j raed Soul a Lun fit sl “ied | Yes tt l | A CPM Wetbanl Di At he i nila Matis an tosh etwas lhalataaeaciaies ene a , it ayy Saige oreo ie seh i dears yy a fi ha ns itd sien iy ahs et ay hahah . ities tan ; inne ia i sia Mier yt 4 it oy es Ey wi f in Bia Reh Ha yey Ky ita ie vit ane ui AL : ae a te a Penny Oy ao) Tah ys anh i Ht Ay vi i na roe ry at as pane ? ai ie: se ee Wh aN tah i i via tbat aces aes Mi Hye Nh ne sei ath ne ian Bhs eda? eae stage ie mi ey el aite ata Py dae ik wwii wists irate Miata i ed, a i iPaniadis sie ‘ii Hh yt tae AD eS S ee iN Py on ii fodede Letshsiak depuae Jom hii A rr wiles iWeb a hide Mot ia bith 4 neiril ads ang ail {vted “4 i i Wang ev of i sit veri eld iene 4 ae ray Bie UT) “4 Wide ihe bid, ES ote tito ei eeaneaaty a ‘i at hed A) vie mss ite eee Baa tie Hf #44 ‘yl ih i we , et " ma f caatt hag iad fi ie ; m iy) mi v4 At RY ’ ai f ; Wi vet = a SS aie ton ee “i hited Fibra hostel Kalli a) ' i 101 #424) aeh sty bh aint isle iene pets fe satel neat y qr ay OH bagel Wet ; ‘ a chee eye Pree eys) het awe ey rylee iy Sit dsr haa. tas ¥ ain 4 rer hs ; ably ras hime A abptaarte Pare ah hoje ens Fry want : see aed i (ra UD tbe hy HA Whdeeal nut sian si cnt Se i oth He 4 ae Py wee he iii’ thes both Pe Figpalaat ‘we i v iY alt vie ids breraints sl sae ee si stashed sai A bea’ , “" “ ig) xe ei ! se ther earn ste es Mowci tun tedt a seep sua | heskon efi Bee nm ee iy wy rat ah it isi aga i asa re i ow fend weet Aetye' re iva haat ees shat " 4 ° p Neate 92 bones Hil wtivsrs if } 4 rm)? Man at aaa ed te ta ean tt te enone: rotten , Ce ero et re Page “acd yas Got ilauies ie UA seh fy ea pea = y ain! trae we ak lene woetayy) ‘ned i wie ee peniiel Aaite arnt bnariyhreyhitis rene Jian oH) ore a4 ht ti . jw : ine a mite nt inde de Laval otro ine Bese bth ott a4 shel *4 ry A atacand tata " waters OR os ty) sie ws ten . Y Ge : - ” Sy wih . i i sa incr achds oe dans jist opr ibe gc Stara sh ang endl bantatiale” 0-9. We TRANSACTIONS AND PROCEEDINGS AND fot Or RE OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY of SOUTH AUSTRALIA. —_ 2 fee). VOD EL. (FOR 1884-5.) meee MAY, 1886. — SSeS an- Adelaide: G. ROBERTSON, 103, KING WILLIAM STREET. 1886. Parcels for transmission to the Royal Society of South Aus- tralia, from Europe and America, should be addressed ‘‘ per W. C. Rigby, care Messrs. Thos. Meadows & Co., 35, Milk Street, Cheapside, London.”’ Aopal Society of South Australia. Patron : HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN. Gice- Patron: HIS EXCELLENCY SIR WILLIAM ROBINSON, K.C.M.G., ©.B., &e. ORR Ph Ss [Elected October 6, 1885.] President : H. C. MAIS, Ese., M.LC.E. Gite-Dresidvents: WALTER HOWCHIN, Esa., F.G.S. (Editor), RICHARD L. MESTAYASR, Esq., C.H. How, Crevsurer: How, Secretary : WALTER RUTT, Esg., C.E. | W. L. CLELAND, Eso., MB. Other AMembers of Council: PROFESSOR RENNIKE, D.Sc., F.C.S.| J. W. BUSSELL, Eso. H. T. WHITTELL, Esq., M.D. (Re-| D. B. ADAMSON, Eso. presentative Governor) W. E. COOKH, Esq., B.A. E. ©. STIRLING, Ese., M.D. | Assistant Seervetary: MR A. MOLINEUX. v.84 ACES LIBRARY COUN TENTS. PAGE, J. J. East: On a Geological Section from the Head of St. Vincent Gulf Eastward across the Wakefield and Light River Basins (plate i.) .. Cu. WINNECKE: Plants collected in Central Australia Samurt Dison: Remarks on some Indigenous Shrubs of South Aus- tralia suitable for Cultivation as Fodder Pc ee W. A. Jones: Notes on Iridescent Clouds St ote Gavin Scounar: Past Climatic Changes, with special reference to the occurrence of a Glacial Epoch in Australia .. “ie ee Pror. R. Tate: Post-Miocene Climate in South Australia oe E. Gurst: Remarks on the Nomenclature of some South Australian Butterflies, with Observations .. ke ea Ae os W. T. Bepnatu: Description of and Notes upon the Species of the Genera Murex and Typhus, known and recorded as existing on the Coast of South Australia.. Te a ate ae ae oF W. Ernest Cooxze: A few Remarks about Weather Forecasting for South Australia .. a =e ab Pror. R. Tate: Additions to the Flora of Extra-Tropical South Aus- tralia, including Descriptions of Two New Species .. Ae nie Pror. H. Lamp: On the Persistency of Electric Currents in Masses of Tron. . ee oe ee ee ee ee de ee Pror. H. Lams: The Cause of the Luminosity of Flame F. 8. Crawrorp: The Apricot Disease ue ee ee ee Water Howcuin: On the Fossil Foraminifera from the Government Boring af Hergott, with General Remarks on the Section, and on other forms of Microzoa observed therein Sts a sh Pror. Tate: Supplemental Notes on the Palliobranchs of the Older Tertiary of Australia, and a description of a New Species of Rhyn- chonella (plate vi.) “is De ae es te oe aa Pror. Tate: The Lamellibranchs of the Older Tertiary of Australia, Part I. (plates ii. to xii.) .. oe ae : 1 10 14 28 36 49 60 63 67 fia! 73 74 77 79 94 96 IV. MISCELLANEA. The Dasyurus, a (?) Vegetarian—A. Molineux .. 7 on -. 159 Fungi Collected near Clarendon—J. G. 0. Tepper is a ‘o. ae Plants Collected near Stuart’s Range in 1885 —Chas. Winnecke -s 208 On the Occurrence of Astrorhiza angulosa as a Fossil in the Older Tertiary of Victoria—W. Howchin si ee 5% a “+. oe Brstioc¢RapHicaL Notices: Australian Fossil Bryozoa .. a ‘>, Aen Notes on Some Mesozoic Plant Remains from South Australia “e zi .. 163 Abstract of Proceedings “ Me - ee ae .. 164 By-Laws Relating to Sections in connection with the Society .. -» 169 Balance-sheet .. Ss os od y “tA ap 5: es iy Donations to the Library oe ek i Ns oe ee < San List of Fellows, Members, &c. ae RY aa aS oa srr APPENDIX. Proceedings of Field Naturalists’ Section .. ie ar, a a 180 RST RR ON A GEOLOGICAL SECTION FROM THE HEAD OF St. VINCENT GULF EASTWARD ACROSS THE WAKEFIELD AND LIGHT RIVER BASINS. By J. J. East. Plate I. (Read November 4, 1884.] INTRODUCTORY. The sectional line here spoken of extends from Port Wake- field across the Wakefield Plains, and through the Adelaide chain of the Flinders Ranges to their eastern slopes overlooking the valley of the Murray River. The form of the ground’s surface naturally suggests its division into two portions, viz., a level or gently undulating plain reaching back from the waters of the gulf for 22 miles, when it gives place to a tract of hilly country. This hill region is formed by a succession of parallel ranges having a nearly meridional strike, and separated from each other by valley-plains often of considerable extent. The ranges as a rule appear about the same average height above the plains, but on a line from west to east they really, with the valleys between, form a series of terraces, each valley and range on the east having a greater absolute elevation than that on the west. The eastern range is the highest of all, the summits of several points being over 2,000 feet above the sea. It forms a wide-topped swell many miles long, and is known as the table- land. From the eastern slope of the tableland the surface of the country falls rapidly towards the Murray River, but no long creeks nor permanent waters exist in the 35 miles of scrub and plain which intervene between that channel and the hills. In consequence of the terraced formation of the hill country the whule of the surface drainage is towards the gulf, the western ranges being drained by the River Wakefield, and the central and eastern ones by the Light and its tributary the Gilbert. THE WAKEFIELD PLAINS. In describing the series of beds or strata met with along the line of section it will be advantageous to begin with the wes- tern or “plains” portion. On the edge of the gulf at Port Wakefield a deep borehole 2 sunk by the Government has revealed a great thickness of Tertiary beds resting directly on a primary rock composed of blue slate containing iron pyrites and bands of quartz. The Tertiary beds have been critically discussed by Professor Tate in Vol. IV. of the Society’s Transactions, &c., and by him the series are divided into two portions, the upper beds being classed as “Recent Marine’’ and the lower beds “ Pliocene Drift.” The Recent Marine does not extend far inland, and is suc- ceeded on the surface by red loam, underlaid by red clay, which continues to Balaklava. Sinkings at this place pierce the loam and clay at about 80 feet, and then enter water- bearing strata of sand and gravel. The same occurs at Hal- bury on the Blyth railway line, and at several points in the scrub south of Balaklava. East of this township the red loam is found surmounted by a crust of travertine, and this in turn is covered by 20 to 30 feet of blown sand of a lght-brown eolour. It is this sand which by forming mounds gives the undulating character to the plains. A fine section of the sand, travertine, and loam is exposed by a railway cutting on the Blyth line just over the bridge crossing the Wakefield. These sandhills continue right back to the ranges, and where they adjoin the older rocks often develop flat beds of a fine-grained brownish-black ferruginous sandstone, which is extensively used for road metal. The manner of its occurrence is like that of travertine, and doubtless owes its origin to similar causes—aqueous solutions concentrated by evaporation. Along the line of section no exploration has been made deeper than the gravel which underlies the red clay, but at several points southward the search for water has resulted in greater depths being reached. The Hundreds of Dalkey and Grace are by this means pretty well known, but in no instance have the wells reached the primary rocks. Among the sand- hills west of Owen railway station wells which have been sunk over a tract of country six miles wide have passed through the gravel and entered blue clay at a general depth of a little over 100 feet from the surface. Twelve miles farther south ina well at Mallala—115 feet above sea level—the blue clay was met with at a depth of 80 feet. The water supply at this depth being insufficient and of poor quality, a borehole was continued from the bottom. The blue clay continued to a depth of 150 feet further, and then the drill entered a bed of quicksand and gravel, which afforded water with such pressure that it not only rose to the top of the bore, but flooded the well to a depth of 40 feet, at which point the water has found its level, or, what is more probable, the lateral soakage is equal to the supply from below. ‘This well was sunk by the Milling Company for 3 engine purposes, and the water derived is eminently suitable for such uses, being clear and soft. Where the plain slopes up to the foot of the hills the red ¢lay or loam is found resting directly against the primary rock, and the river channels where they debouche on the plain show only a section of this upper bed or the overlying sand and travertine. Summarised, therefore, the strata of the plain consist in descending order of — Blown sand oe oi sev > 80: feet Travertine rt a i an hve Loam and red clay naw SOY 4% Sand and gravel, with brackish water . 24 4 Blue clay ... ae me SLOT 264 feet Quicksand and gravel, with abundance of good water. THE HILLS. The rocks composing the hill country are divisible into three groups, each unconformable to the others. The newest formation is a gritty sandstone, often a ferruginous conglome- rate or breccia. The coarser portions occupy the lowest levels, and from this the transition is a gradual approach to a lighter- coloured and finer-grained sandstone, which forms a cap to al- most all the ranges. No fossils have been detected in it, and has been referred to various geological ages, from Miocene to the Desert Sandstone. Extensively distributed, it is also very thick. At Macaw Creek, south of Rhynie, it forms round- ‘backed hills 200 feet high. In the valley of the Light, between Hamilton and Anlaby, it is also greatly developed. ‘The most extensive and unbroken seri¢s of it is met with on the Alma range, where it forms a cap and flanking formation all the way from Stockport to Saddleworth. As might be inferred, the nature of this rock varies greatly, especially the upper por- - tions. In some places, as near Undalya, it is a coarse soft sand- stone; at Rhynie and west of Stockport it is quarried as a white freestone for building purposes. At Stockport itself and near Marrabel its ferruginous beds yield splendid tough road metal, On the Marrabel range it is compact, grey, hard, and barely distinguishable lithologically from the grey quartzite forming the core of the range. The best exposure of this series is seen at Stockport, on the bank of the River Gilbert. There the western side of the ¢hannel is formed of very coarse conglomerate, consisting of quartz stones (some of them being as large as one’s fist) cemented together by a ferruginous: paste. The Gilbert has cut a channel through it, and passing westward it is seen at 4, length bounded by slates dipping eastward. Ascending these slates, the sandstone cap is found to get finer and finer grained until, as before stated, it becomes a freestone quarried for building purposes. Where not resting directly on primary rocks this sandstone rests on blue clay similar in appearance to that found under the red clay of the plains. Such is the case- at Tothill’s Creek, Butcher’s Gap, Woolshed Flat, Salter’s. Springs, and Humphrey’s Springs. The frequent occurrence of similar patches of conglomerate in the beds of creeks which are still the main drains of the tract of country in which they are situated would at first sight ap- pear to indicate that the sandstone just spoken of had its. origin in running streams. The bedding of the sandstones, however, their dip and variation in texture, while indicative of formation by currents is not consistent with lacustrine or river depositions when considered in the light of their altitudes and distributions over extensive areas. PRIMARY ROCKS. The series of slates, quartzites, and crystalline limestones. forming the main mass of the ranges have been tentatively classed under the somewhat ambiguous term of “ pre-Silurian,’” which term, however, commends itself as being indicative of the extreme age to which these rocks undoubtedly belong. Along the line of section they are clearly divisible into two: groups—an upper and lower—both upheaved and greatly faulted, and uneonformable to each other. Upper Group.—The upper group is much the thicker of the two, and consists of slates, soft aluminous rock, quartzites, flags, and sandstones. It is seen to best advantage in the Gilbert Valley along the line of section which passes through Riverton. In descending order the rocks here met with are Greenish grey sandy slates and soft aluminous rock. Pink and brown earthy slates. Blue slates containing black iron pyrites. Olive green slate. Brown quartzite. Olive green sandy slates. White slatey sandstones, soft and sometimes earthy. Blue flags. Bluish grey sandstones graduating into micaceous flags. All the above beds are seen in ascending order from about one mile west of Riverton to the foot of the Marrabel ‘range, about four miles further east. The prevailing strike is N. 10. W. and dip eastward at a mean angle of 23 deg. from the horizon. Numerous quarries abound in the three lowest beds. 5 - which are worked locally, and furnish the building stone, flags, and road metal required in the neighbourhood. Two miles south of the town the pyritiferous slates form a hard brown ferruginous shale, which constitutes a round-back swell of about half a mile in length. This change is probably due to the oxidation of the pyrites as they at times are found studding this rock like currants ina cake. The same rock is seen in the Light channel, about three miles below Hamley Bridge, and from it I have gathered pyrites which, while ex- ternally of a clear black colour, were of the original brass yellow towards the centre. At several other places the shale occurs on the alignment of the slate, among others at Dorring- ton’s farm on the Marrabel range, where it is scarcely one hundred yards from the unaltered bed. Paddy’s Knob (in the Northern Areas) on the Germein road near Wirrabara is another instance of this localisation of chemical changes. The two upper beds of this group contain much soluble matter, and when treated with hydrochloric acid the pink variety loses one-third of its weight. Their soft, almost friable, nature and susceptibility to chemical action is the cause ot their always weathering into rolling swells with sometimes deep watercourses at their bases. North-east of Tarlee the valley is deeply cut up from this cause. About four miles east of Riverton a fault of upthrow occurs, which brings the lowest beds again to the surface. The beds appear to be somewhat thicker also, which, though doubtless is the case, is yet made more apparently so by the dip of inclina- nation being lessened several degrees. The Marrabel range presents its steepest face to the west, and has undergone denudation in a very irregular manner, due principally to the varying hardness of the Tertiary sandstone by which it is capped. The blue flags are seen at the fault which passes by Ettrick’s ruined church. The olive green slates occur at the foot of the range ; the brown quartzite at intervals shows bare on its summit, and half-way down the other side is a quarry in the pyritiferous blue bed which has supplied the stone to build Marrabel. The next four miles is covered by the Tertiary sandstone, and the sequence of the rocks is ascer- tained by wells and exposures of rock at greatly denuded points north and south of the sectional line. Another fault in this upper group of rocks is marked by the Julia range. From here to the table-land the strata are much disturbed and occasionally the angle of dip is very high and always easterly. The table-land range, however, dips westward, and must therefore form a synclinal trough under the upper portions of Julia and Pine Creeks. The eastern face of the table-land presents a steep and sometimes bluff face, over- 6 looking the Murray Plains, due to its having been faulted up- ward from that side. This last fault is a very long one, and runs ina general direction of N.N.W. and 8.8.E. from Roberts- town to Leake’s Lookout, a distance of over 20 miles. From Eudunda, which stands nearly on the line of fault, the surface of the country falls rapidly towards the Murray. A few swells, mostly of sandstone, appear, and in the railway cutting at Mount Mary the last of the Primary slates are seen. After this the fossiliferous beds of the Murray basin occupy the country further eastward. Lower Group.—What I have termed the “lower group” of rocks forms the base of the western ranges, and consist of beds: of slates, crystalline hmestones, and quartzites. Nowhere, as. far as my observations have extended, are they exposed in full succession except so far as the lower beds are concerned. The whole series is much faulted and disturbed, and the strike and dip very variable, but the latter is always at a high angle. As: the results of numerous observations I have been led to accept the following as the sequence of the different beds in descend- ing order :— Grey talcose slate. Grey quartzite. Hard blue shale. Crystalline thin bedded limestone with taic partings. Siliceous thin bedded marbles. Olive-green slate. Brownish-white sandstone. Green and grey sandy slates. Thick bedded grey quartzite. Yellowish clay slate. Massive quartzite breccia. Although, as previously stated, the strike of particular beds is never constant, the series as a whole has a general direction of N.N.W. and 8.8S.E. It forms the base of the Alma Range from Stockport to the River Wakefield, and of the Skilly ranges from the Wakefield to Clare. The road which runs west of the Clare hospital has a goodly proportion of marble in the metalling. The watercourses of the Skilly ranges have eroded channels through the softer slates and limestones, and in consequence the harder quartzites and sandstones remain standing in a series of narrow high parallel ridges which effectually shut out any direct traffic from Watervale or Leasingham to the plains on the westward. Between the Skilly ranges and the main North Railway the ground is formed by rocks of the “upper group.” The up- heaval of the Skilly ranges from the westward has subjected 7 these beds to tremendous lateral compression, by which they were thrown into a series of folds, the culminating point being Mount Horrocks. In the immediate neighbourhood of Auburn the foliation is clearly displayed by the road cuttings. Four miles eastward the Pin@ Creek has worn its channel com- pletely through the slates of the upper group: down to the crystalline limestone of the ‘lower group.” The exposure of limestone at this point was observed by Prof. Selwyn in 1859, when driving from Saddleworth to Auburn. A few yards to the westward is a dyke of dolerite, which is the only eruptive rock I have observed in this district, but I am informed that fragments have been found in the Skilly ranges, near Clare, by Professor Tate. Professor Selwyn records the occurrence of a granite dyke at the confluence of the Julia and River Light, about four miles south of the section. At Pine Creek this rock is quarried for road metal. Between Riverton and Rhynie some of the weathered boul- ders of marble become deeply stained with iron oxide, and have a suggestive coralline appearance, and when an unweathered fragment is ground smooth the mass is seen to be composed of shot-like concretions cemented together. Specimens of this rock have been submitted to Prof. Tate and the Government Geologist, but were not recognised as organic formations. The same rock is traceable as far south as Stockport, beyond which the rocks disappear beneath Tertiary deposits; butat Templers, nine miles from Gawler, the debris from the well is talcose slate, similar to that found in other places occupying the highest position in the “lower group” series. The Alma plain is loam and drift resting on rocks of the “ upper group,” and is bounded on the west by the low Dalkey Range. At Stock- yard Creek the wells show talcose slate as at Dry Creek, west of Tarlee. The dip is easterly, and passing west to the Wil- derness Creek, near Owen, there is an exposure of the lime- stones, also dipping east. Seven miles north of this, where the Wakefield River forces its way through a gap on to the Wake- field Plains, the sequence of the rocks is again observable in ‘the natural section there formed. This Dalkey Range, though much lower in altitude, is the counterpart of the Alma Range on the east—a base of Primary rocks capped with Tertiary sandstone. The beds of the “upper series” resting between those two ranges show much false bedding, and along the Her- mitage Creek-—under the flank of the thick quartzites—are distinctly inverted. Stockyard Creek is the most southern point of the “ lower group” in Dalkey. The rocks of the upper group seem to flank it on the east and south, while Tertiary deposits bound the western side. The channel of the Light from Hamley Bridge 8 to Redbanks show only a section of greatly faulted beds be- longing to the “upper group.” SUMMARY. To summarise the observations made on the two Primary groups, the whole district may be considered as formed of slates and sandstones (upper group), broken up on its western edge by upheaved limestones, slates, and quartzites. The _ varying dip and strike, great metamorphism and faultings, to- gether with the presence of intrusive rock, characterising the “lower group,” suggest that an immense period elapsed be- tween the depositions of the ‘‘upper’’ and “lower’’ series. The lower group had been faulted and upheaved before the upper beds were deposited, and in the subsequent convulsions of nature the force which upheaved and faulted the whole country still further faulted the underlying limestone group. The occurrence of the Tertiary sandstone capping the old Primary rocks is suggestive of its being a shallow water for- mation, and as a slow upheaval went on the products of denudation would necessarily gravitate into the lowest hollows —precisely as we now find them—and finally form the conglo- merate beds so common in the different valleys. The eroding action of the watercourses have cut their channels through them where conditions were favourable, leaving the conglo- merate beds in patches on the flanks or slopes of hills over- looking the valley. Where, then, a conglomerate patch exists above a watercourse, it bears silent testimony to the eroding influence of the stream below. Further than this, it testifies how very longa period has really elapsed since the dawn of what we still call “recent” geological time. In the absence of paleontological evidence all identification of rocks based solely on their lithological features is open to a greater or less amount of doubt, but a faithfully recorded sequence of conformable strata in any one locality becomes a clue aeserving consideration when examining neighbouring districts the topographical features of which suggest a relation thereto. ‘ It has been shown that the upheaval of the western side of the Wakefield basin has had the effect of folding and faulting the beds of the upper group, producing the swells which by denudation of the softer portions now form the numerous parallel ranges extending northward. In the troughs of synclinal folds, or along the line of faults, the numerous creeks have worn deep channels, and owing to this circumstance, 2.e., the water following an indicated or ready-formed system of drainage, there are very few gorges or natural sections through- out the whole district. RAN | R.MURRAY PLAINS Ce Fudunda (1372) } ote height above soa level —, va I a ow amar Stratigrapbical Shetch ACROSS THE BASINS OF THE WAKEFIELD AND LIGHT RIVERS. R.MURRAY PLAINS Horizontal Scale—Two and a-half miles to one Inch Vertical Scale—1,000 feet to one Inch RANg& River Light Valley w A E River Gilbert yet itr: re mh D TERTIARY GROUP. PRIMARIES—UPPER GROUP. PRIMARIES—LOWER GROUP. Faults denoted thus * 1. Recent Marine Grey taloose slate Attached figures denote helght above soa level 2. Blown sand Grey quartzite 8. Drift, loam, and olays Hard blue shale 4. Sand and gravel . Crystalline thin bedded limestone with talo partings 5. Tough hard blue clay . Siliceous thin bedded marbles 6. Quicksand and gravel . Ollve-green slate - Upland Miocene (sandstone and conglomerate) . Brownlsh-white sandstone . Green and grey sandy slates . Thick bedded gray quartzite . Yellowish olay slate . Massive quartzite breccia . Greenish-grey sandy siales and soft aluminous rock . Pink and brown earthy slates - Blue slates containing black Iron pyrites . Olive green slate . Brown quartzite . Olive green sandy slates . White slaty sandstones, soft and sometimes earthy . Blue flags - Bluish-grey sandstones graduating Into micaceous flags a FR mo ko oe Kuen hHonmocome SURVEYOR GENERAL'S OFFICE. ADELAIDE. Fruzer 5S. Orumford.Hhototithegraphe 9 What lies beneath the quartzites of the lower group is not visible in this district, but in the northern areas, at Tarcowie Springs, in the Appila Creek, a similar series of beds—which for the reasons just given I assume are identical with the Wakefield group—rest directly on mica schists, and both are pierced by a large dyke of porphyritie greenstone. The whole of the Pekina Range, extending as far north as Oladdie Station, seems identical in structure to the Wakefield basin— two unconformable series of beds, the one principally argilla- ceous, the other chiefly calcareous and siliceous. Between the Pekina and Wakefield beds lies the basin of the Broughton River, in which, according to Selwyn, the whole country is composed of one single series of rocks in anticlinal and syn- clinal undulations extending from Bundaleer to the foot of Mount Bryan. This series I have traced into direct connection with what I have termed the “upper group” in the foregoing pages, and despite the absence of fossil evidence the inference is a very strong one that the Pekina and Wakefield ‘“ lower group” rocks are identical. We have thus an axis of upheaval extending from the latitude of Port Augusta to the shores of St. Vincent Gulf quite distinct from that of the Hummocks and Mount Remarkable systems, and nearly on the central meridian line of the Flinders Range, when considered as a whole. South of Kapunda the Adelaide chain has been so meta- morphosed that lithological aspects on a large scale cannot be grouped in such a manner that the rocks shall of themselves bear the impress of identity, but the numerous references given by Selwyn indicate that the sequence of each conforma- ble series will yet suffice to connect them with the two groups of the Wakefield basin. EXPLANATION OF PLATE I. The sectional line runs from Port Wakefield slightly north of east to the Murray Flats beyond Eudunda. From the Dalkey Range to the Hermitage Hill, the beds vary much in strike and dip and one bed is distinctly inverted. One mile east of Rhynie the faulted beds dip north-westerly, and the line of strike is only 25° from that of the section. The table-lands range is crossed at about 15° less than a right angle. All the other portions of the section are in the direction of the true dip or at right angles to the line of strike—J. J. E. 10 PLANTS COLLECTED IN CENTRAL AUSTRALIA, Between lat. 22° 30’ and 28° S., and long. 136° 30’ and 139° 30' E., by Cu. WiyneEcke, Esq., during his expedition in 1883; examined by Baron Furp. von Mvetter, K.C.M.G., M.D., Ph.D., F.B.S. [The following list was published in Mr. Winnecke’s official report, but has received corrections from the author, and was ordered to be printed in the Transactions, by the Council of the Royal Society, December 14, 1884 :-—| Lepidium papillosum, F&. v. JL. Erysimum Blennodia, F. v. I. Capparis Mitchelli, Lindley. Capparis lasiantha, R. Brown. Drosera Indiea, Linné. Owenia acidula, F. v. J. Bergia perennis, &. v. AL. Tribulus hystrix, 2. Brown. Zygophyllum Howittii, # v. W. Petals about one-eighth inch long ; filaments without appendages ; anthers, when fully opened, almost roundish; radicle often three times as. long as the cotyledons. Erodium cygnorum, WVees. Gossypium Australe, & v. J. Lavatera plebeja, Szms. Abutilon leucopetalum, Fv. 1. A variety with yellow petals. of nearly two inches in length ; some of the stamens fully as long; upper part of the styles exserted ; fruit not seen. This plant offers an approach to A. exonemum, Mons. Thozet, sent from Muellersville, specimens with flowers: fully three inches long. ; Melhania incana, Heyne. Seringea integrifoha, & v. I. Triumfetta Winneckeana, Ff. v. MZ. Leaves roundish or verging into an oval form, denticulated and somewhat crisp at the margin, velvety on both sides; sepals narrow, dorsally terminated by a minute conical appendage, petals downy towards the base; stamens numerous; ovary three-celled ; fruit large, on slender stalklet, almost globular, indehis- cent, thinly tomentose, copiously beset with long spreading bristle-like, nearly glabrous at the summit, hooked prickles. The nearest affinity of this plant is with T. leptacantha, but the fruits are much larger, and not glabrous; indeed, bs! they are in size similar to those of T. procumbens, but provided with longer and much more slender prickles. Leaves and flowers have been described from mere rem-- nants adhering to the fruit. Frankenia laevis, Linneé. Claytonia Balonnensis, F. v. IZ Atriplex leptocarpum, F. v. I. Atriplex Muelleri, Bentham, var. lobaticarpa; dwarf, procum-- bent or ascendent, leaves small; fruit-bearing calyces. minute, to the middle bivalved, digitate or flabellate, rhomboid, anteriorly cleft into five deltoid-semilameolar lobules, the lateral of which divergent or recurved, but often abbreviated, the lower portion of the fruit-calyx thickened towards the middle, but not appendiculated. This may possibly require specific separation, but the degree ot variability of the group of saltbushes to which this plant belongs needs yet further to be studied in the field or from augmented museum material. The plant here under consideration reminds us also of A. fissivalve,, from which it differs in less succulency, smaller leaves, less transparent, and less deeply valvate fruit-calyces,. with shorter lobules without dorsal appendages. Kochia triptera, Bentham. Salsola kali, Zinné. A variety of flowers and fruits crowded. headlike on abbreviated branches ; appendages of calyx. minute. Ptilotus latifolius, R. Brown. Ptilotus alopecuroideus, &. v. I. Ptilotus obovatus, & v. DW. - Polygonum plebejum, FR. Brown. Rumex crystallinus, Lange. Some of the plants only one inch: high, though fully in fruit. Macgregoria racemigera, F. v. Df. Isotropis Winneckei, # v. JZ, in Melb. Chemistry, Febr.;. 1884. An entirely new plant. Crotalaria dissitiflora, Bentham. Psoralea patens, Lindley. Indigofera viscosa, Lamarck. Swainsona laxa, &. Brown. A variety with somewhat larger: flowers ; lobes of the calyx considerably shorter than the tube, the two upper rather blunt; lateral petals dark violet-coloured towards the summit; stipe of pod slightly longer than the calyx. Glycine sericea, Bentham. Reminds of Galactia tenuiflora. Petalostylis labicheoides, R. Brown. Bauhinia Leichardtii, F’. v JZ, var. cinerascens. In this sin- gular variety the rust-coloured silky vestiture of the: 12 calyces and petals is replaced by a thin dull-greyish tomentum. ‘The same form has been obtained on Julia Creek, a tributary of the Flinders River, by Mr. Armit ; there particularly the petals become glabrescent. The leaflets are narrower than usual. Fruit for further com- parison is not available. The far extratropic Bauhinia of Cooper’s Creek is B. Carronii. Neptunia gracilis, Bentham. Acacia dictyophleba, F. v. I. Young pod broad linear, viscid, straight, flat, not hairy, somewhat thickened at the margin ; stipe short. Calycothrix longiflora, #. v. 1. This has recently been also collected within the limits of New South Wales, near the Warrego, by Mr. Betche. Melaleuca glomerata, Fv. 1. Flowers small; tube of calyx thin-velvety, lobes short and blunt; petals tender-mem- branous, almost colourless, ciliolated, otherwise glabrous ; stamens, when dry, pale yellowish, five to seven in each bundle ; the connate portion about as long as the petals, but much shorter than the free portions of the filaments. Eucalyptus gamophylla, & v. WZ. On the specimens now col- lected the upper leaves become narrow lanceolar, con- tinuing opposite or getting scattered. Eucalyptus microtheca, F. v. A. Lythrum hyssopifolium, Linn. Ammannia multiflora, Roxburgh. Haloragis Gossei, F&. v. IL. Didiscus glaucifolius, F. v. I. Pimelea simplex, / v. UW. Loranthus Quandang, Lindley. Melothria Maderaspatana, Cogniaux. Pomax umbellata, Solander. ‘Oldenlandia tilleacea, &. v. I. Dentella repens, Forster. ‘Calotis cymbacantha, & v. AL. ‘Calotis lappulacea, Bentham. Vittadinia Australis, Richard. Fruit specimens only two inches high. Prosiecton adscendens, Bentham. A dwarf form, with larger ligules of the ray-florets. Epaltes Australis, Lessing. Myriocephalus Rudallu, # v. JL Myriocephalus Stuarti, Bentham. Helipterum floribundum, Candolle. Gnaphalium luteo-album, Linne. Senecio Gregoru, Ff. v. AL. ‘Wahlenbergia gracilis, A. de Candolle. 13 Isotoma petrea, F. v. A. Brunonia Australis, Smzth. Erythrea Australis, 2. Brown. Duboisia Hopwoodi, F. v. A. Solanum oligacanthum, / v. MZ. Nicotiana suaveolens, Lehmann. The flowers in some of the specimens less than an inch long. Stemodia Morgania, F. v. A. Justicia procumbens, Linné. Ipomeea Muelleri, Bentham. Cynanchum floribundum, FR. Brown. Pollichia Zeilanica, F. v. A. Halgania cyanea, Lindley. Heliotropium filaginoides, Bentham. Teucrium racemosum, FR. Brown. Clerodendrum floribundum, #. Brown. Newecastlia spodiotricha, F. v. MZ. Found also by Mr. Kayser at Eyre’s Creek; by Mr. Giles, near the Alfred and Mary Range; and lately near Mount Everard. Corolla deep blue. Dicrastylis Dorani, F. v. I, var. eriantha; leaves narrower, conspicuously tomentose ; glomerules of flowers two or more superposed along the stalks; calyces involved in a dense woolly vestiture ; corolla as in the normal form, almost bell-shaped, its tube short and turgid, the lobes obtuse. The Rev. H. Kemp sent a small-leaved variety from the Finke River. Dicrastylis Lewellini, #.v. 1. Tube of the corolla cylindrical, longer than the rather acute lobes; the fifth stamen be- tween the two smaller corolla-lobes often altogether wanting, but sometimes developed and quite perfect. This and other rare plants brought by Mr. Winnecke extend probably along sandy tracts of country into Queensland territory. Eremophila Macdonnelli, F. v. AL. Eremophila Willsii, #@v. 2 A variety with branches and leaves glabrous. Eragrostis speciosa, Stewdel. Fully in flower at less than six inches in height. Aristida stipoides, R. Brown. 14 REMARKS ON SOME INDIGENOUS SHRUBS OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA SUITABLE FOR CULTIVA- TION AS FODDER. By Samvuret Drxon. [Read February 5, 1885.] In considering some of the fodder plants of South Australia, instead of drawing your attention to the herbs and grasses, which are popularly looked upon as comprising our only stock foods, I am desirous of making some practical remarks upon a number of plants, usually shrubs or small trees, which consti- tute a most important part of the food of sheep and cattle, especially in the drier and more arid portions of this colony, ‘some of which are to be found widely spread through nor- thern districts, and extending to our eastern and western boundaries. The subject cannot be exhausted in one evening, but I feel that in view of its great importance to the well-being of the colony I may by bringing it under the notice of the Royal Society of South Australia assist in spreading a know- ledge of the advantages of preserving, cultivating, and increas- ing the growth of a class of stock food which suffers but slightly from droughts, and which by its abundance adds greatly to the numbers of stock depasturing in certain areas, and by providing a constant supply of wholesome food promotes the growth and quality of that wool which is our chief export; and finally, adds so much flavour and sweetness to our inutton. It seems very desirable that many of these plants should be ex- tensively cultivated, as their foliage becomes available when the grass is either gone or has lost all its nutritious qualities. In the large estates used solely as sheep-walks, lying mostly to the north of Adelaide, if belts of these native shrubs were laid out and the sheep only admitted during the months of April, May, June, and July, I am convinced the condition of the sheep would be better maintained, and consequently the growth of wool sounder and more abundant; the percentage of lambs would be higher, and in the long run more stock would be carried on the same area. The study of shrubs edible for stock is one of the very greatest practical importance not only to the sheep farmer, but to all dependent on him in business; the presence or absence of certain of them renders the oceupation of large tracts of country profitable or the reverse, and an adequate knowledge of them is of the first importance. At present very few of a eeeeEeeeee 15 those whose interests are bound up with stock can either name - correctly or accurately describe the plants on which they in- directly subsist, although everywhere in Australia amongst practical men certain prevalent forms of vegetation give a name to well-understood sorts of country; for besides the general distinction of grass country or saltbush country we have in each of the colonies familiar expressions roughly de- noting the healthiness or otherwise of certain areas, such as the “jam” country of West Australia, named from an acacia whose wood is scented lke raspberry jam; or again, in New South Wales, another acacia, the ‘“‘myall,’’ with violet-scented wood, is a certain sign of the healthiness of certain districts ; or in our own colony, “mulga”’ country defines certain pecu- liarities of soil and climate. Very heavy losses have arisen from sheep farmers being mis- led as to the food qualities of the scrubby vegetation. For in- stance, many of the scrubby plants of the Murray Scrub are excellent fodder; others, characteristic of the South-East and Kangaroo Island, are so deficient in nutriment that sheep can barely exist, as they are mainly Hakeas, Grevilleas, Melaleucas, Banksias, &c., whereas the shrubs to which your attention is to be directed greatly assist in producing that excess of stearine in tallow which is the main cause of stock retaining their fat during long journeys, and this excess of stearine is conspicuous in cattte fattened amidst the saltbush and mulga of the North. But, on the contrary, the deficiency of stearine in stock fat- tened in the South-East is the reason why they “waste,” or in - other words, lose condition so much before reaching the Ade- laide market. It is the more desirable to consider this subject, because I fear that in some localities many of the most valuable of our shrubs are doomed to extinction from the fondness of stock for them and from that system of overstocking which too com- monly prevails, and because in some localities—as, for instance, from the east bank of the Murray River to the Victoria border —the rabbits are barking and completely destroying all those shrubs which gave that region its chief value as a grazing country ; and as the seasons when sufficient rains fall to give a good growth of grass are very irregular and uncertain, a vast area 1s likely to become more or less a real desert. It is also noteworthy that stock do nor in different localities invariably eat the same plants; of this, the Native or Cypress Pine (Callitris verrucosa) is a striking instance. On the Murray and in the North it is greedily eaten wherever stock can reach it, but on the western slopes of the dividing range in New South Wales and to the south-east of Cobar, the same tree be- comes a real pest to stockholders, for, seeding very abundantly, 16 a dense growth of young pines prevents grass from growing ; and there is not grass enough to carry fires through the country, as was the case before the country was stocked, and the result is that land there is now much less profitable to- occupy. The leading characteristics of our vegetation are peculiarly adapted to the arid zone it occupies, and which for fodder plants capable of withstanding protracted droughts is, I sup- pose, the richest in the world. Compared with South Africa, I can personally testify to its great superiority ; and in the corresponding zone in North America the census of fodder plants is also much smaller, while in South America the cactus family (few of which are edible) too largely prevails. To conclude these preliminary remarks, permit me to ac- knowledge very gratetully the kind assistance of Prof. Tate in lending specimens and in furnishing me with the scientific names necessary to identify plants, many of which, so far, have no common name, but where one exists I gladly use it; and finally, my only title to address members of this Society arises from a close practical observation continued for many years over large areas of this and the adjoining colonies. — I propose to mention first those plants which are common around Adelaide and in our moister climates, and afterwards to describe those belonging to more arid regions, but which are well worthy of cultivation wherever they will grow. Bursaria spinosa.—A very common bush, named from the supposed likeness of its heart-shaped seed vessels to the pods of Shepherds’ Purse, and from a few thorny spines much better de- serves its second name. The flowers are small and white, in large pinnacles, and most abundant during summer. In the South-East it grows to be a small tree with larger leaves (and without spines) than is ever found this side of the Murray. Sheep eat it as soon as the grasses dry up, and where abundant makes a good “stand-by,” and is of great value in late seasons. Its spines prevent its being eaten out like the last described. It stands pruning well, and would be serviceable as an ornamental hedge to cottage gardens. Pomaderris racemosa.—This is another common bush in the moister districts, and seldom exceeds two feet in height, with an abundant foliage of smallish roundish leaves. The flowers- are 1nconspicuous in small clusters, and the leaves w hen chewed or soaked are found to be slightly mucilaginous ; this explains: the fondness sheep have for this plant. It always seems fresh and green, and stands stocking well. Pittosporum phylleroides.—A. small tree, with whitish bark,, and drooping foliage of narrow leaves; flowers small and 17 scented ; seed vessel before opening is oval, and of a bright orange colour, highly resinous, and its flavour is most disagree- able ; but sheep are exceedingly partial to its foliage, and when one succeeds in pulling down a branch the rest make a rush to partake of such a dainty, and owing to this the tree itself is like to be exterminated, although originally very common in the limestones of Port Lincoln and the Murray. Were this culti- vated, and sheep only admitted occasionally to the enclosures, it would never reach a troublesome height. Like most of its family, it is easily raised from seed. Casuarina quadrivalvis.—The Sheaoak so common around Ade- laide. All stock devour this tree, and in Port Lincoln the fallen catkins (male infloresence) form the ehief sustenance in winter on much of the overstocked country. In many parts the ground, if fenced off, is quickly covered with the young trees, and if after the third year the sheep were admitted only during the winter they would be prevented from growing too high. It is too sour to be very useful to ewes rearing lambs, but if sheep only had enough of it, the “brake,” or tenderness of fibre, would often be prevented in our finer wool districts, and much money saved by the increased value a sound staple always commands. Acacias—The Wattles of various sorts are common almost everywhere. The common or Golden Wattle, A. pycnantha, is now being extensively cultivated for its bark; for grazing, however, its value is not so well recognised, but I am of opinion that in winter its value as an astringent 1s very great, as sheep often suffer from a diahorrea caused by eating frozen grass, and if access be provided to any of the varieties of Wattle this. is prevented, and the improved clip will repay the wool- grower the extra trouble of cultivating this ornamental and beautiful tree. Acacia melanoxylon. — The Blackwood, which is confined with us to the South-East and our cooler southern valleys, is of more use for its timber (which is one of the hand- somest furniture woods in Australia), than for its foliage, which, although eaten by cattle and sheep, is not of the greatest value; but the contrary is the case with the mulga, Acacia aneura, a shrubby tree of the very greatest importance in Central Aus- tralia, where it covers large areas, sub-varieties of which there are many, being somewhat difficult to define, varying a little according to the locality. The stony ranges, the rich red loamy plain, and the sandhill country have each a mulga differing mostly in the size of the leaves and position of the branches, and recognised by the aborigines under distinctive names, the typical mulga having numerous branches at nearly right B 18 angles to the main stem. The narrow leaves are comparatively veinless—hence its specific name—and the flowers growing singly are of oblong shape, instead of spherical, like A. pye- nantha. Its most remarkable characteristic, however, is the mucilaginous quality of its foliage, a leaf, when chewed, yield- ing a distinct flavour of gum, and without that astringent taste so common in Acacias grown in the moister regions. The presence of mulga in sufficient quantities is of the first impor- tance in runs situated in the more arid portions of Australia as being not only the best stand-by, but as furnishing posts for fencing, the timber being very close-grained, hard, and lasting. As to how long the timber (generally of small size) will remain in the ground without decaying it is very difficult even to guess at, for it frequently happens that old forests of it are found standing evidently killed by fire, amidst a growth of young trees, which must have taken many years to grow to their present size, for the muiga is a very slow grower, but if cultivated ina moister climate I think would grow more rapidly, and yield a less scanty foliage. Amongst stockmen it has an evil reputation, as wounds caused by riding through scrubs of it often fester, and are difficult to heal. The most southern limit of it that I am aware of is at Anabama, some 90 miles from the Burra, on what is well known as the Pegline, the surveyed road to the Darling. It has been used extensively for smelting at Cobar, and exists around Silverton, and no doubt its close-grained charcoal will be very useful in reducing the silver ores there. With the view of getting precise and reliable information as to the properties of the scrub in question, a sample of it was forwarded to Mr. Wilham Johnson, the analytical chemist for the Victorian|Government, whofurther submitted it to Baron von Mueller, the Victorian Government botanist, and it affords me considerable satisfaction to give you an extract from the report of Mr. Johnson as to the value of mulga: — ‘“ Examined chemically, it has been found to contain a large quantity of starch and gum, together with albuminous bodies and other constituents common to all vegetables. It is destitute of any poisonous properties, and, viewed as an article of food, must be very nutritious to all animals eating it. The mineral con- stituents amount to two per cent., and consist of carbonates of lime and potash, together with sulphates and chlorides, all very useful in the animal economy.’ Baron -von Mueller’s report is purely confirmatory of the above, and need not be repeated. Acacia salicina—The Broughton Willow, as it is called in the North, being found mainly on the River Broughton and its tributaries. A very handsome little tree with drooping 19 branches ; a good deal eaten by sheep and cattle. It resembles some of the drooping myalls of New South Wales; its seed- pods long and narrow, each seed being surrounded by a velvet- like thread or aril of a deep red orange colour ; like most of the family, its seeds germinate more ° surely and quickly by being soaked in boiling hot water. The procession caterpillar destroys many trees by eating off the foliage, and the singular silk bag filled with the exuvie of this destructive insect are to be found hanging in large numbers on the trees. A. Oswaldi, found on the Murray, is much less handsome, but is also eaten by stock. Cassia eremophila.—A pretty little shrub with three small leafiets on each side the leafstalk, flowering abundantly in the Spring ; the flowers bright yellow, scented, and nearly half an inch Across ; easily propagated, and both pods and leaves eaten by sheep ; is widely spread in dry regions. Cassia phyllodinea.—This species is named fromits leaves being merely flattened phyllodes, and these are bifid at the extremity. This is inedible, excepting the pods when green, and is a nuisance in spreading over the warm loamy soil oe the Lower Darling and similar country here ; but, unlike the foregoing, grass will not grow beneath it, and is mentioned to prevent its being grown in error. Cassia artemisioides—This is one of the handsomest of the tribe, and is worthy of being cultivated for its very showy yellow blossoms. Templetonia retusa.—Another showy leguminous plant, which is not uncommon on limestone soils near the sea, but grows very freely on deep, rich, red soils. Its large red pea flowers are abundantly produced, and sheep devour the green pods and the leaves also; it is easily raised from seed, and not growing too high, and the branches being close and the foliage abun- dant, would be useful also as a “ breakwind”’ on exposed plains. A very handsome dark-flowered variety is common on the Flinders Range. The specimen came from the Port Germein Pass. Myoporum platycarpum.—The so-called Sandalwood of the Murray, and is common in dry limestone soil throughout the less humid parts of the colony. Its leaves seem to be eagerly eaten by sheep when they can reach them; but the tree gene- rally grows from 20 to 30 feet high, and is often felled for sheep “when long droughts prevail. If the branches are lopped off the tree soon starts a fresh growth, and by the time another drought comes has often a sufficient growth to again bear lopping. It is often wantonly destroyed, and should be pro- tected by regulation. It is a very elegant tree, having quan- 20 tities of small white blossoms in January or February, and is: well worth growing as a “ stand-by.” Had the City Gardener planted this tree in the North Adelaide Park Lands, on the limestone soil, the result would have proved much better than planting red gum, elms, &c., which can only have a miserable- existence before they finally die off. The timber has a pleasant scent when burned, but if used as posts, is liable to be eaten and destroyed by beetles. Santalum acuminatum.—The Quondong, or Native Peach, be-- longs to the real Sandalwoods, and is one of those shrubs which soon disappears with heavy stocking. Cattle breaking it down, and sheep eating off the shoots soon kill the trees, and young ones are very few and far between ; in fact, from my observa-- tion, I believe that to be swallowed by the emu is almost neces-. sary for the germination of its well-known seed. I can hardly recommend it for general purposes as a fodder plant to be cul-. tivated, for, although its foliage is very nutritious, the plant seems too tender except in rich moist nooks. Its very light ereen leaves have a yellowish tint, which in shrubberies would form a good contrast, and when covered with fruit of the- brilliant shiny crimson so well known to bushmen is a very striking object in the duil green usually around. Evemophila longifolia —The Dogwood of bushmen, and named by them from the offensive smell which the leaves have when crushed. The tree itself is not uncommon, and may be known by its woody seed vessel, covered by a black shiny skin; by its dull red blossoms, nearly two inches long; and drooping” leaves three to four feet long. It likes deep rich soil. Sheep- are exceedingly fond of its foliage, and they are apt to eat even the twigs, so that when grown it is necessary sheep should only have occasional access to it. It is one of the first to be barked by rabbits. Another species, 2. Brownii, has a bright scarlet-coloured flower, but the foliage is too scanty to render the plant worth attention. It was common on the hard lime- stones of Port Lineoln, but is now much searcer there. Geijera parvifolia.—The Sheep Bush. Sheep only are particu-. larly fond of this bush, which grows on hard limestone soils, and seems quite unaffected by droughts. It seldom grows more than ten feet high, and has a number of small stems from the: crown of the roots. You will always find every leaf eaten off within reach of sheep, who eat it at all seasons. The seed vessel always contains two small shiny black seeds, ripening at the end of summer. The dense growth of this shrub gives a. good deal of shelter, and inits native state affords the kangaroo shelter from the sun. I should like to see this shrub estab-- lished on all sheep farms. The specimen came from Telowie. Jt ought never to be destroyed wantonly. 21 Nephelium oleefolium (v. Mueller).—Heterodendron oleefolium {p. 124, “ Native Plants of Victoria’’).—This small tree is also common, and the bitter taste of its dull grey leaves resembles ‘quinine. Both sheep and cattle feed very greedily on this little tree, but’as soon as stock are removed from the pad- docks it is one of the first to recover, throwing out fresh leaves, and like the last described is of very ereat value in “lry seasons. I have seen it as far south as the Government Farm, Roseworthy, but in the Bourke district of New South Wales are the largest specimens I have seen, the rich, warm, loamy soil seeming to suit it exceptionally well ; the increased ‘size and dense foliage giving a welcome shelter from the sun. Judging, too, trom the bitter flavour it is hkely to be of use in medicine, and I hope some of your learned members of the medical profession may be induced to experiment with it. It cannot be too frequently grown. Leptomeria aphylla—This stiff, awkward-looking shrub is well described as aphylla, only the very youngest shoots show- ing traces of anything like leaves; in fact, the shrub resembles =) parcel of green sticks and small stiff twigs. It is by no means ornamental, and its small red fruits, with a ttle green knob at the end, are too inconspicuous to ‘attract attention. Sheep, however, find it pleasant to browse on, and in doing so often fill the wool onthe top of the neck with its small twigs. I can hardly recommend the cultivation of this queer-looking shrub, but it should never be destroyed where it grows naturally. Exocarpos cupressiformis. (The Native Cherry).—This very handsome tree is a favourite food with sheep and cattle, and a young tree is consequently somewhat uncommon. If it can be readily grown, however, there is no doubt of its desirability, but as it likes rich soil and a cool climate, I do not expect it will be used as a fodder-plant generally. -Gossypium Sturtii.—This very showy summer-flowering shrub, named after the gallant explorer, Colonel Sturt, is a native of the glens of the mountain ranges of the interior. It grews very freely in gardens around Adelaide, is very easily propagated, and affords stock a good summer feed; and is as handsome in plea- sure grounds as it is useful as a sheep and cattle food. It isa suitable plant for gardeners to cultivate, and likes a fairly rich soil, and when cut > down Gf not too close to the ground) sens out plenty of young shoots. Its absence from the city Park Lands is a good specimen of their general mismanagement, and how little native shrubs are appreciated. Sida petrophila—This showy little plant is well named petrophila, or rock-loving, being most common on the top of all northern ranges in the saltbush country. The disc-like yellow 22 blossoms and downy grey-green leaves render it very con- spicuous, although it does not much exceed three feet high, and, like other plants affecting the same situations, flowering after copious rains. There should be no difficulty in growing it commonly, but it. does not like too moist a situation. It seems to be as much liked by sheep as by marsupials, and I have seen large tracts quite cleared by their united efforts. Dodonea viscosa.—The native Hop Bush, and one of the largest of the Dodoneas growing here. Its chief use as a fodder plant is in the “hops,” as bushmen call the four, round, winged seed vessel, each section of which contains a little black seed. It pro- duces large quantities of seeds, and during November and December, until its coppery-red seed vessels get too dry, sheep and cattle eat them eagerly. The foliage is resinous, and to see the bush eaten down is a sure sign of “ hard times” with the sheep. It is sometimes twelve feet high or more, and likes warm, red, sandy ground. In the old times when shepherds were kept to look after sheep, the hutkeepers used the “hops” as a substitute for the real hop in making sugar-beer and to make yeast for bread. It is very suitable for cultivation in shrubberies. Lycium australe—This is a very useful fodder plant indeed. It grows up to four feet in height, and is thickly covered with short oblong juicy leaves. Drought never seems to affect it, and having many spiny points, sheep can never quite eat it out. It is also one of the very few shrubs in saltbush country which throw out abundant suckers. The flower is small, lilac- white, and salvia-shaped ; the fruit is also small, bright red, and of a sweetish tomato flavour. The shrub is abundant nearly everywhere, and is often recklessly destroyed by farmers in their attempts to erow wheat in unsuitable places. I believe it to be very fattening, and likes saline soils. Zygophyllum fruticulosum.—This small shrub is very common in calcareous soils and sandhills. It has small juicy linear leaf- lets in pairs. The seed vessels resemble in shape and size the Dodonea above described. It has an abundance of single yellow flowers, and on Yorke’s Peninsula, around Wallaroo, it grows very plentifully on long fallowed ground. It is also common among the mallee scrubs, and sheep, feeding where it is common, care less for water, finding abundance of moisture in its singular leaves. From a letter of Baron Sir F. v. Mueller to Prof. R. Tate it appears that the Zygophyllum family is poisonous in South Africa, and certainly [ have had reason to suspect Z. glaucesens of killing sheep, but have never had the opportunity of testing it. I am, however, very confident that Z. fruticu- losum 18 not injurious, for although notuniversally and at all 23 seasons eaten by sheep, it is quite eaten out in the Murray River serubs, and I never knew any ill-effects produced by it. The other Zygophyllums are seldom or never eaten by sheep. Goodia medicaginea.—This handsome shrub will grow to four or five feet high, or even higher, and retains its foliage throughout the year, having a preference for limestone soils, and flowers during September and October; produces an abun- dance of seeds in short pods. Horses, cattle, and sheep devour it greecily, but of late years I have seldom seen it. The speci- men was gathered near the Duck Ponds, Port Lincoln, inside a fenced-off piece of road, otherwise, no doubt, it too would have disappeared by being eaten out. Some allied species are poisonous, but I have never known injurious results from eating this one. Baron von Mueller, in the letter above-mentioned, also states that, in Gippsland, Goodia latifolia has been proved to have poisoned cattle. It would be interesting to know for certain whether the poison exists in the seeds or leaves. It often happens that a good deal of obscurity exists about poi- sonous plants and their effects, as they seem very uncertain. A friend of mine lately fed some old ewes on the undoubtedly poisonous Euphorbia Drummondi, but could not kill them,. al- though he often loses an odd sheep or two from poison, and no other known poisonous plant exists on his property. 1 am inclined to believe that many leguminous plants reputed to be poisonous are not really so, but that an excess of either foliage or seeds eaten by a hungry animal throws off such an abundance of gases that “hoove,”’ which is nothing more than an exces- sive distension of the stomach pressing against the diaphragm, preventing the lungs from working, and the animal is really strangled to death. To this cause °T attribute all the deaths (and “they are very numerous) caused by Lotus australis var. Behrii; really an excellent fodder plant, akin to the lucernes, but when seeding, and especially after rain, if hungry sheep are allowed to feed greedily upon it they die by hundreds, while sheep in confinement and fed solely on it do not die but actually thrive, as was proved some years since in Adelaide. Kochia aphylla.—The Cotton Bush, so well-known and of such vast importance to herds and flocks in all our dry and very arid country. It belongs to the real saltbush order, and not like the two last described, which are only popularly considered so. It derives its popular name from the white cotton-like balls, the effects of a gall insect, very conspicuous indeed on a plant which so well deserves its scientific name of aphylla (without leaves), or sometimes present as mere scales. The plant usually presents the appearance of around heap of reticulated green wiry twigs. It is most common on red clays and loams, espe- 24 cially where liable to occasional floods, and in the immense plains of the interior is a most reliable sign of those water- courses which, as they only become such at very long intervals, could hardly be traced but for this singular plant. Petals it has not, but the calyx is five-lobed, with a broad horizontal con- nate membrane. All kinds of stock are often largely dependent on it during protracted droughts, and when neither grass nor hay are obtainable I have known the whole bush chopped up and mixed with a little corn, when it proved an excellent fodder for horses. One drawback it has: its stems being very fibrous, and the older portions indigestibly so, it is the principal cause of those bezoars or felted knobs in the maniplus of the sheep, which in very protracted droughts kill them by hundreds. When, however, the rains come, and soft herbage is abundant, these bezoars either partially dissolve or become covered with a shiny-black coating, so that they then resemble a “ papier- mache” ball. I believe the Cotton Bush attains a great age, and have often observed the extreme distance its fibrous roots spread. This is another of those plants which should never be ploughed up. As far as I have observed it does not commonly grow again, and has a greater value in its native habitat than anything which can permanently be grown there, and appa- rently does not seed freely. Kochia sedifolia and K. villosa.—Commonly known as Blue Bushes. These grow on very healthy sound sheep country, but are not themselves good fodder plants. As a matter of fact, should they be eaten, the sheep must have suffered a good déal of starvation, and if they are eaten out, you may be certain sheep must have died in numbers. SBefore leaving Kochia villosa, it may be remarked that Baron von Mueller looks upon the Cotton Bush (aphylla) as merely a variety ; but this is a case where we may look upon the sheep as a better botanist than ourselves, as both K. villosa and sedifolia seem to be very distasteful to them, and while we admit the exact similarity of the horny flower and fruit, I do think the extra- ordinary length of the roots of the Cotton Bush, as well as its difference in everything except the flowers and fruit, should entitle it to a distinct and separate position, and allowing this, I have observed two sorts growing near together mostly dis- tinguished by the difference in the shade of their green stems, and in this case too sheep make a difference between them. Around Forbes, in New South Wales, I have seen another variety of aphylla; its young shoots drooped, were of a lighter green, and the small leaves or bracts more abundant. Rhagodia parabolica.—This is another saltbush, which pro- duces a good deal of foliage, and is not uncommon. Generally 25 - found forming a low bush around some bigger tree; I have noticed it especially with Leptomeria. Itis worth attention for cultivation. 2. spinescens—The same remarks apply to this ‘species of saltbush also. Chenopodium microphyllum.—A. saltbush, like the preceding, often found protected by some larger shrub, and sheep care more for it than for many other saltbushes. It would be useful if growing freely ; but experience must prove the best guide, as I think it possible some of the saltbushes will prove difficult to grow out of their own special localities. Atriplex vesicaria—tThis is one of the most common and widely-diffused of saltbushes, and is sometimes called the Small White Saltbush. This, I think, can readily be grown wherever the climate is not too wet. It covers very large extents of clayey plains, and in good seasons is only nibbled at by stock, excepting when covered by those curious vesicles which give name to the species. There is an annual sort much resembling it which unfortunately I have failed to determine the precise name, but the tops of the young plants are fairly edible when boiled, and together with Zetragonia expansa, or Native Spinach, have often afforded me a change of diet in the outside country. Before the vesicular seed vessels are quite ripe they make quite a loud report if trodden under foot. Atriplex nummularium.—Often called the “Cabbage” Salt- bush, from the comparatively large size of its leaves. It grows to over eight feet high, and is found commonly near to where water lies for some time; also on flats bordering the Murray that are rarely flooded. Eaten by sheep when food is scarce, not difficult to grow from seed, and adapted to form a contrast in shrubberies from having scaly grey leaves, and forms a dense bush. Atriplex paludosum. — This saltbush is named from its favourite habitat, and may be readily distinguished from