THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



A TRIP TO NORTH QUEENSLAND. 



By D. Le Souef, Assistant Director Zoological and Acclimatiza- 

 tion Society of Victoria. 

 (Communicated by H. P. C. Ashworth.) 

 (Read before Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, 12th Feb., 1894.,) 



I left Melbourne for Queensland on 2nd September, 1893, in 

 the s.s. Araioatta, to endeavour to procure some Tree-climbing 

 Kangaroos, Dendrolagus Bennettianus, and other animals, for the 

 Melbourne Zoological Gardens. A passenger was landed at 

 Gabo Lighthouse, and we were thus enabled to get a glimpse of 

 the entrance to that beautiful inlet Mallacoota, and wished for a 

 nearer view. It is unfortunate that this place is so difficult to 

 reach from Melbourne, otherwise it would be a great resort for 

 holiday-makers. 



On arriving at Sydney Harbour heavy rain came on, but it 

 cleared up next day, and we left again in beautiful weather. We 

 had a clear view of Point Hackett, South Solitaires, Cape Morton, 

 and other landmarks along the coast, and reached Brisbane on 

 the 8th. On going up the river signs of the late disastrous flood 

 were everywhere visible. Our voyage was resumed again next 

 day with fine weather. Passing Sandy Cape on the 10th, we 

 arrived at Keppel Bay the same night at 1 o'clock, and going up 

 the river in the tender against a strong tide, arrived at Rock- 

 hampton at 7 o'clock next morning. I left by train for Mr. Bar- 

 nard's station, " Coomooboolaroo," near Duaringa, to endeavour 

 to procure some Black-headed Snakes, Aspidistes melanocephalus, 

 &c, for our Gardens, and arrived there during the afternoon. 

 The garden was gay with bright-coloured flowers, and some of 

 the creepers were literally a mass of blossom, almost completely 

 hiding the green leaves. I found the doves just as numerous 

 and tame as on my former visit, and it was a pleasure to see how 

 fearless they had become through kind treatment. When having 

 afternoon tea on the verandah they would frequently alight on 

 one's hands and peck at the cake, &c, one might be holding j 

 occasionally they essayed to alight on the rim of a cup, at the risk 

 of upsetting the contents. At half-past 4 every day they were 

 fed with a little grain ; an old kerosene tin was rattled to give 

 them notice, and as soon as they heard it they came flying from 

 different parts of the garden to be fed. There were three kinds : 

 the European Ring Dove, the Barred-shouldered Dove, Geopelia 

 humeralis, and the little Peaceful Dove, Geopelia tranquilla, 

 which, however, were often very pugnacious the one to the other. 

 I visited some scrub a few miles away from the house, and was 

 enabled to get a photograph of one of the Bottle Trees, Sterculia 

 rupestris. They seldom seem to grow in the open forest country; 

 there are two kinds here, popularly known as the Broad-leaf and 



