THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The last mile of the road was both steep and rough, but we 

 thoroughly enjoyed our walk, which had taken us just six hours, 

 the invigorating nature of the mountain air making the task an 

 easy one. After tea, arranging the specimens in blotting paper 

 and tracing out the unfamiliar ones by the aid of the " Key " 

 occupied the greater part of the evening, and, the air being sharp 

 and bracing, we enjoyed a good night's rest. 



During an early morning ramble next day we visited the spring 

 just below the hospice, which forms the source of the Ovens 

 River, and collected fine specimens of the little fern, Lomaria 

 aljnna, Spreng., with its spore fronds. Here also were fine bushes 

 of Helidirysiim rosniarinifolium, Less., laden with flowers, as 

 also Leptospermum myr.nnoides, Schlecht., and Fimelea ligustrina, 

 Labill. 



After an early breakfast we started off for Mount Hotham 

 (locally known as " Baldy " ), some five miles distant, and about 

 I, ICG feet higher. Just past the hospice a road descends on the 

 right into the Dargo Valley, and so on to Gippsland, but our 

 road was along the main ridge of the Alps in a north-easterly 

 direction. The views' as we proceeded were very fine, now down 

 into the Ovens valley, then down into the Dargo, and so on. 



We soon began to add to our botanical collections. Our 

 friend of the lowlands was here, Euphrasia brownii, F. v. M., 

 but so much larger and whiter. Of that aromatic shrub, Drimys 

 aromatica, F. v. M., our only representative of the Magnoli- 

 ace?e, we were destined to see several forms during the day. 

 Colour was lent to the scene by quantities of the orange 

 Oxylobium aljjestre, F. v. M., another solely N.E. plant. Just 

 below the road grew magnificent specimens of Craspedia richea, 

 Cass ; some of the flowers must have been at least an inch and a 

 half across, and of the deepest orange colour. In contrast to 

 them were the deep blue flowers of Dianella. tasmanica, J. Hook. 

 The daisies, Brachycome scapiforniis, D. C., and B. ciliaris, Less., 

 grew on the slopes. The fern Aspidium acnJeatum, Swartz, 

 grew in quantities in the crevices of the rock cuttings as we 

 ascended, while Helipterum incanum, D. C. (var. aui'iceps), 

 was abundant. 



On a hillside grew Daviesia ulicitia, Smith, well known on the 

 heath ground at Sandringham, but as vigorous as ever here over 

 5,000 feet above sea-level. Two shrubs, peculiar to the N.E., 

 now attracted our attention, growing among the rocks and 

 seeming to cling to them for protection from the strong wind so 

 prevalent in this region. The one, Borunia algida, F. v. M., 

 crowded with pretty pink flowers ; the other, Weslringia senifolia, 

 F. V. M., with white or very pale lilac labiate flowers. 



We now came to Mount Blowhard, and from our experience 

 on a comparatively calm day we can quite understand how the 



