164 AuDAS, A Botanist in the Portland District. rvd."^xxxiii 



growing on the edge were iino tall shrubs of Monotoca clliptica 

 and Leptospcrmtim lanigerum, while Veronica Dcrwcntia, with 

 its dense spikes of white flowers, was just bursting into bloom. 

 Proceeding further, the Portland North State school comes into 

 view. Making a call on the head teacher. Mr. R. I^. Miller. I 

 was agreeably surprised to find tliat the children attendhig 

 take a keen interest in wild-flowers, and several pupils have 

 made collections of pressed llowers. As showing what can be 

 done in beautiful furniture manufactured from our native 

 timbers, 1 was interested in a desk owned I)y Mr. Miller made 

 from the Blackwood, Acacia melanoxyion. The timber was 

 obtained from the Otway Forest, and worked up by a friend, 

 who evidently took much thoughtful interest in matching the- 

 numerous panels and turning out a very beautiful and artistic 

 piece of furnitine. The ornithological members of our ("lub 

 may be hiterested to hear the following relative to the tameness 

 of the (irey Shrike-Thrush, ('ollurici)icla harmonica. Mr. 

 Miller informed me that two birds first came near the back 

 door, and on being given food returned daily for some time, 

 becoming almost tame. Later on the nest containing the 

 eggs was discovered, and the birds had become so accustomed 

 to him that food, in the form of insect larvje, &c., was readih' 

 taken from his hand. After hatching, the young birds were 

 only fifteen days in the nest. Accomi)anied bj' Messrs. Miller 

 and Dillon, 1 spent an interesting afternoon botanizing in the 

 neighbourhood. The timber in the locality is chiefly the 

 Yellow Box, Eucalyptus inelliodora, and Narrow-leaved Pei)}X}r- 

 mint, E. aniygdalina. with an undergrowth compo.sed jMin- 

 cij)ally of Acacia stricta. Spyridium pan'ifolium. Davicsia 

 latifolia, and Jndigofera australis — the latter with whiti' 

 flowers as well as lilac coloiu". In the oj)en grass-lantl were 

 thousands of the yellow flowers of Hypoxis glabella, the blue 

 of Wahlcnbergia gracilis, and the creamy-white of Stackhousia 

 linearifolia, with its dense spikes of sweetly-perfimied flowers. 

 Of Orchidaceie the most abundant were Diitris longijolia, D. 

 pcdunculata. Microtis porrifolia. M. atrata, Thclymitra flcxuosa. 

 T. longifolia, Prasophyllum claium, (ilossodia major, and 

 Caladcnia Palersoni. 



Further on is the Cashmere heath coimtry. Here Epacris 

 imprcssa grows to perfection. It was in gorgeous bloom, and 

 well worth seeing, especially the red and pink varieties. There 

 are thousands of acres of this heath country available for 

 selection, and some is now under cultivation, giving excellent 

 results. At the recent Portland Show sam])les of the Peach 

 Blossom variety of potato, grown on this heath land, were 

 exhibited and awarded first prize. The Government has spent 

 a large sum of money in making this fonnerly desjnsed land 



