12 



After three days stay at Oooma, wliere I collected as much as 

 the broken weather would permit, I started on Saturday, 9th 

 February, for Jindabyne, which was reached at 3 a.m. on Sunday, 

 lOth February. Jindabyne is very pleasantly situated on the 

 eastern bank of the Snowy River, about 26 miles from the 

 highest peaks of the Australian Alps. The neighbourhood at 

 one time must have been excellent collecting ground, but at 

 present is much deteriorated owing to the denudation of the 

 forest lands, and by ring-barking ; however, a good number of 

 insects of all the orders were obtained, particularly some fine 

 Hymenoptera. After a few days collecting about Jindabyne, I 

 went to a place on the upper Moonbar River, having been 

 informed of the occurrence of numbers of butterflies. This 

 information proved correct, but- altliough the Lepidoptera were 

 much knocked about and many quite worthless, a fair number 

 of good specimens, and many other interesting Insects were 

 obtained. My instructions being to ascend the ranges, brought 

 me back to Jindabyne. 



After several unsuccessful attempts I oljtained a good guide, 

 with packhorses, &c., and started on Sunday, 3rd March. The 

 road, after crossing the Snowy River, leads through Mr. Ijody's 

 run till the Crackenl>ac, better known as the Threadbow River, 

 is crossed, not far from its junction with the former. Here 

 at Mr. Spencer's old station " Westpoint," mentioned in Dr. 

 Lendenfeld's Report, a rest was made, and from thence for a 

 considerable time we followed his route. For some seven miles 

 there is a splendid track, formerly used by bullock drays, and 

 this part of the journey must have been in Dr. Lendenfeld's 

 mind when he made the assertion that he could drive a carriage 

 to Mt. Kosciusko. At a place called Wilson's Valley this fine 

 track ceases, and from thence it is utterly impossible to proceed 

 except on foot or horseback. The rises, hitherto with but few 

 exceptions having been gradual, occasionally now got very abrupt 

 for short distances, while intervening bogs and thick scrub made 

 it rather ditlicult to bring a pack on safely. We got on pretty 

 well however, as the guide was a very careful man and the horse 

 very docile. Just l)efore sundown we reached Tom's Flat, and 

 camped for the night. During the day I dismounted many 

 times and obtained a few good insects, and at night I got 

 several specimens of Galaxias in the creek near the camp by the 

 aid of a lantern. Next morning an early start was made, and 

 we reached a camping place at nn altitude of about 6, GOO feet, 

 and the next day reached the highest peaks. The place we 

 camped at was on the margin of the scantily timbered part of the 

 country, opposite the eastern " butt " of the " Perisher," a 

 desolate rugged mountain range nearly surrounded by water, two 

 different branches of the Snowy River closely flanking it. In 

 ascending to Mts. Townsend and Kosciusko the scrub gets more 



