270 A NATURALIST OX THE " CHALLENGER." 



A long stick is cut and thrust into one end of the pipe 

 whilst a bag is held at the other, and the Bandicoot is soon 

 bagged. The Bandicoot does not attempt to bite, but requires 

 to be held exceedingly tight or else easily escapes the hands by 

 the power of its spring. One female had three young in the 

 pouch. Often the tree is too long for the stick, and then a hole 

 has to be chopped to get the animal out. 



I made two excursions to Browera Creek, one of the many 

 branches of the main estuary, or rather inlet, into which the 

 Hawkesbury river runs. The creek is a place full of interest. 

 Suddenly, after traversing a high plateau of the horizontal sand- 

 stone, the traveller meets with a deep chasm about 1,000 feet in 

 depth, but not more than a quarter of a mile wide. 



This chasm or channel has precipitous rocky walls on either 

 side, with more or less talus slope, and at the bottom runs the 

 river, a small stream, over which one can easily jerk a pebble 

 when standing at its brink. The chasm or creek takes a wind- 

 ing course, so that only short sweeps of it can be seen at a time, 

 and as it widens out and turns sharply or again contracts, one 

 seems, when in a boat on its waters, to pass through a succession 

 of long narrow lakes. 



The river, or rather stream, at the place where we approached 

 the creek, is tidal. It is impossible to say where the river ends 

 and the sea begins. The main part of the creek is a long tor- 

 tuous arm of the sea, ten or fifteen miles in length, and is itself 

 provided with numerous branches and bays. These frequent 

 branchings are perfectly bewildering to a man not accustomed 

 to row on them every day in his life. The whole is, in fact, 

 like a maze. 



The side walls of the creek are covered with a luxuriant 

 vegetation, with hugh masses of Stagshorn Fern (Plalycerium) 

 and "rock lilies" (orchids), and a variety of timbers, whilst there 

 are Tree-ferns and small palms in the lateral shady gullies. 



The descent to the river is very steep, and it was a difficult 

 matter to lead the horses down. As we descended, we heard the 

 Lyre-birds calling all round ; at the bottom, on a little patch of 

 Hat alluvium covered with grass, is a small house and barn, 

 where a man lives with his family all alone, and shut out from 



