THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 145 



One member having a sprained ankle, and wishing to ride, 

 reduced our pack-horses by one-third, consequently our persona 

 baggage had to be kept down to very small limits, which caused 

 some of the party much labour in deciding what to take and what 

 to leave behind. Unfortunately, through carelessness of the pack- 

 boys, much of this luggage was a long time reaching its owners on 

 the mountain. 



Friday (Christmas) morning, 2 5lh December, we had breakfast 

 before 6 o'clock, and the walkers (15 in number) started off in 

 good spirits for their climb of over 3,000 feet, the riding party 

 coming on later. We crossed the Eurobin on stepping-stones, 

 and got over the steepest though not the most difficult part of 

 the climb before we realized it as such. Mr. Kernot encouraged 

 us every little while by telling us how high we had ascended 

 according to his barometer. • 



At length we reached the granite country and were actually on 

 the Buffalo. Then what a change in the flora ! I could not resist 

 the temptation to leave the track and search amongst the flower- 

 covered rocks, noting many plants new to me, and various old 

 friends in unusually rich garb. Here I collected several beetles, 

 noting especially a Curculio which was found only on the white 

 flowers of Grevillea parviflora. Most of the party met at the 

 mountain stream close to the first rocks, and here the horses, with 

 an extra member, Mr. Gerrand, caught up to us. All enjoyed a 

 rest and the delightfully cool water, and started off refreshed, but 

 we should have had a substantial meal and a longer rest. Future 

 parties should bear this in mind. The track now followed round 

 the northern end of the mountain, and presently the climbing is 

 somewhat stiff, as the path with some steep pinches winds between 

 the huge rocks — an uncomfortable country for nervous riders. 

 Beautiful little mountain streams crossed the track every here and 

 there ; near one of these I collected several rather good Longicorn 

 beetles from the flowers of an Aster. 



The top of the mountain was reached, in my case at least, 

 without my knowledge, and it will be many a day before I forget 

 my first glimpse of the " tundra " country in front of Carlile's 

 Hospice. Here were flowers of all colours and kinds. Though 

 the last of the party, I could not hurry through such a rich 

 collecting field. A walk of about a mile brought us to our 

 camp, just before reaching which we got the first glimpse of 

 the glorious view from the Buffalo Gorge into the valley below, 

 and across to Bogong, with Kosciusko in the distance. The 

 camp was within fifty feet of the edge of the Gorge, and consisted 

 of a slab hut, in which seven ladies slept, a canvas tent-house for 

 eight men, a dining tent, two of Mr. Mattingley's bell tents, and 

 two small tents — a really imposing settlement, excellent in fine 

 weather, but somewhat leaky, excepting the bell tents, in wet 



