THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



On 22nd October repairs to the boat was the order of the day, 

 Captain Mullins being kindly assisted by the Burgesses. A 

 plaster was placed over the worst leak, and some tarred oakum 

 jammed into the others. During the day we made short trips 

 inland, but found nothing of more interest than a fresh Strepera's 

 nest, which we watched for ten days, but the birds were too wary, 

 and waited till we left before laying. Cattle and sheep thrive 

 fairly well at the homestead, notwithstanding the cottonweed, 

 two species of which are very abundant. But the introduction of 

 clovers and lucernes has worked wonders, both here and at King 

 Island, so that a large cattle trade is springing up. 



On 23rd October we went for a walk across the island to East 

 Telegraph Bay, some seven miles. Following a track between 

 the sandhills which fringed the coast we soon came to a different 

 class of country to what we expected. All along the coastline we 

 had met with almost impenetrable scrub, consisting of ti-tree and 

 such-like ilk, but inland we passed through forests of what is 

 locally called bastard bluegum, alternating with lanes of swamp 

 ti-tree, which, being festooned with the pretty bush Clematis, 

 pleasingly reminded us of Gippsland scenery. A little further on 

 we came to a sandy plateau, commanding a fine view around. 

 On our right the Big Hummock, with its commanding height of 

 790 feet, was to be seen ; to the left was an immense swamp, 

 while immediately around us the country was ablaze with the 

 familiar flowering shrubs which adorn our own heath grounds. 

 Among others we noted Sprengelia incarnata, Pultencea humilis, 

 P. daphnoides, Aotus villosa, Pimelea humilis, Slyphelia Aus- 

 trcdis, and the orchids Thelymitra longifolia, Caladenia carnea, 

 C. latifolia and Pterostylis cticu/Iata. Our track next led us 

 through a dense belt of the ever present ti-tree, and then, to 

 our surprise, into a lovely little gully, in which tree ferns grew 

 luxuriantly. The total absence of mistletoes on these islands 

 has caused Baron von Mueller to remark in his report on 

 the plants brought from King Island by the Club expedition : — 

 "It does not seem that mistletoes have been noticed by 

 the party, the genus Loranthus, though represented by more 

 than one species quite to the southern extremities of the 

 Australian continent, having never yet been traced to Tas- 

 mania." It is satisfactory to know that this may now be 

 explained by the fact that the Swallow Dicseum, which bird 

 has been shown by Mr. Ashworth to be the sole agent in 

 dispersing the mistletoe, is confined to Australia. 



Arriving at East Telegraph Bay, we startled our solitary 

 farmer having his midday smoke. After dinner he led us around 

 nesting. A Boobook Owl flew out of a dead tree, which was 

 climbed, with no result. An unfinished nest of the Flame-breasted 

 Robin showed us that we were too early. We were pleased to 



