To George Day   6 September 1875

Melbourne

6/9/75

I duely received the plants, dear Mr Day, which you sent me. I forward the names of those, which you seems to desire.

It is very pleasing, that you intend to push into the interior. The farther you go, the better will your prospect be for an independent future in pastoral life, while at the same time you will obtain brillant chances for discoveries among plants.

I would advise, not to sacrifice your time for drawings, because you would not know, whether any particular plant selected by you for illustration, might not perhaps be often already drawn before. Concentrate rather all your time on collecting (I mean spare-time), and include minute annuals as well as water-weeds among your specimens Bear also kindly in mind that as a rule fruit specimens are as valuable as flowering ones, if not more so. As I do preserve all specimens which are well dried, I like to recommend, that all your plants should be well pressed while under the process of drying, between paper of any kind. If you take small specimens with just a few flowers & fruits, then a great many can be packed (after drying) into one parcel and best be sent by post. Larger specimens are best put into a gin-box; stratums of plants and paper one above each other. It is almost incredible, what a large number of dry plants can thus be pressed into one box. If you keep a numbered set, I will name the plants for you.

The fern, now returned, is Gleichenia circinata of Swartz.

I return the sketch books to your old adress, as no doubt you have left directions to forward on anything intended for you

With my best wishes for you

Ferd. von Mueller.

Gleichenia circinata