THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 73 



These were the first photos, taken of this fall. On our return we 

 came back by a slightly different route, and paid a visit to what 

 is called the Falls Creek. This is also the first photo, taken of 

 this fall. 



During our climb up to the race again I had the misfortune, in 

 one of my falls, to plunge my hand into a crowd of bull ants, and 

 did not forget it in a hurry. I would suggest that the falls on 

 the Franklin be named the Yeomans Falls, after the gentleman 

 through whose instrumentality, mainly, I was enabled to visit 

 them ; and the other on the creek suggests its own name — the 

 Weeping Fall. Neither have hitherto, as far as I could learn, 

 been named, and have only quite recently been discovered. On 

 returning to the camp, where we had left our horses, I endeavoured 

 to secure a view of the party ; but the horses were restless and 

 would not stand as still as I could have wished. 



Leaving the camp about 6 p.m. we rode through the forest 

 of blue gum (of which some splendid specimens were to be seen on 

 either side of the track), messmate, and blackbutt, by a different 

 route from which we went, and entailed crossing the river only 

 three times. Toora was reached about 7.30 p.m. 



Wednesday, 13TH, was a red letter day for South Gippsland, 

 as the railway line was to be opened through to Port Albert. 

 Nature wept copiously over the event, for it literally poured all 

 day and all night. When the long looked for locomotive and its 

 freighted carriages arrived at Toora the invited guests who had 

 been selected to represent that important centre cut a sorry figure 

 indeed, being drenched with rain and bespattered with mud; a 

 somewhat sickly cheer arose as the train started off for Port 

 Albert and the banquet. I went duck shooting in the afternoon 

 amongst the mangrove swamps at the inlet ; but instead of ducks 

 I got a ducking, and came back saturated. 



Thursday, 14.TH. — The rain was still falling heavily, and a good 

 fire in the sittingroom proved sufficiently attractive to keep me in- 

 doors. 



Friday, 15TH, was occupied by a visit to the selection of Mr. 

 Anderson, who invited me to see a fern gully on his property. 

 Some splendid specimens of tree ferns were observed, ranging 

 from 15 feet to 30 feet in height, and several of them quite 4 feet in 

 diameter at the base. The proprietor, however, took more de- 

 light in pointing out a number of fine blackwood trees — one in 

 particular having a clear stem of 40 feet, with diameters of 3 

 feet and 2 feet at base and top respectively. The ferns are 

 growing too profusely for a photographer to admire, but I took 

 two views merely as souvenirs. 



I was struck with the number of Lyre Birds (Menura victorice) 

 which have chosen this locality for their abode. They whistled 

 away on all sides of us, and on our way back I counted some ten 



