1905.1 217 



Botanical Gardens, situated on the soiith side of the harbour on a 

 gentle slope facing " Farm Cove " are, if not the most extensive, cer- 

 tainly the most flourishing and beautiful that I have ever seen. A 

 certain amount of collecting can be done here, and in the adjoining 

 " Domain," a fine park over 100 acres in extent, where many of the 

 larger Eucalyptus and other trees have been allovi^ed to remain ; and 

 a trip of a very few minutes by railway, electric tram, or ferry 

 steamer, will land the collector in highly satisfactory ground for an 

 afternoon's work. 



The Australian Museum is a noble and commodious building, and 

 contains a magnificent representative series of the fauna of the great 

 island-continent of Australia, including an excellent collection of its 

 insects of all Orders. This latter is, however, far surpassed by the 

 splendid collections originally formed by the late Sir W. Macleay, and 

 deposited by him in the Museum built by himself, and attached to 

 the University of Sydney, under the care of the veteran Australian 

 Naturalist, Mr. George Masters. To the unfailing kindness and 

 courtesy of this gentleman, whose knowledge of the Australian 

 Coleoptera is probably unequalled, I am indebted for invaluable help 

 in identifying my numerous captures in this Order. 



Of the localities within easy reach of Sydney, the famous 

 " Botany Bay " is within five miles of the city, and its shores offer to 

 the collector a large extent of rough bush and swamp land, as well as 

 some beautiful beaches of clean white sand. Along the Parramatta 

 Eiver there is still a good deal of untouched '' bush " on the north 

 shore, which towards the towns of Ryde and Parramatta eives place to 

 extensive orchards of orange and other fruit trees. Going farther 

 afield, the National Park of New South Wales is only 18 miles to the 

 southward of Sydney, and is reached by rail in less than an hour. This 

 Park is a Government reserve of 36,000 acres in extent, and consists 

 for the most part of dry sandstone uplands about 600 feet above sea- 

 level, covered with light " bush " and flowering shrubs, and intersected 

 with deep gullies or watercourses in which the growth of timber is 

 very fine and varied. The whole of this area has been opened up by 

 excellent roads, and forms a greatly needed sanctuary for the too 

 rapidly vanishing fauna and flora of New South Wales, which are 

 here strictly preserved. The Park may be regarded as the commence- 

 ment of the famous " Illawarra District," which farther south consists 

 chiefly of a narrow strip of lowland, shut in between the sea and a 

 range of very steep densely wooded hills, in parts meriting the name 

 of inland cliffs, 1500 to ISOO feet in elevation. The bulk of the trees 



