152 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



once been there, has now all been washed away. In many places 

 it is possible to go for a considerable distance down, working 

 one's way from crevice to crevice, caused by the rocks resting one 

 on the other. Individual rocks scattered about the country were 

 also often covered with the same black lichen. Among the 

 boulders very dark coloured lizards were numerous, but were too 

 nimble to be caught. The Short-eared Rock Wallaby (Petrogcde 

 brachyotis) was apparently numerous, but very difficult to catch 

 sight of, as they were exceedingly active among the rocks. A skin 

 obtained from this locality is in the Melbourne Museum, kindly 

 sent by Mr. R. Hislop. They remain in shelter during the day, 

 coming out to feed in the open country at night. 



Occasionally a group of fig trees and stinging nettles would be 

 found growing on the hillside, the former sending their roots far 

 down to obtain sufficient moisture on which to live, but a parasite 

 fig tree will grow where no other tree would. The nettle trees 

 grow on the mould caused by the dead, decaying leaves of the 

 fig tree. 



Proceeding on our way we reached the Ellenvale public-house 

 towards evening, having travelled 22 miles. I walked, but my 

 companion rode. About sunset numbers of sulphur-crested 

 cockatoos assembled on a tall eucalyptus tree, which grew close 

 by, to roost, and from their lofty perch they overlooked a China- 

 man's garden and maize crop, and the owner had to get up very 

 early to be there before the birds commenced to sample his 

 produce. A flock of about thirty Banks's Black Cockatoos 

 roosted on another tree about a hundred yards away, and I heard 

 them uttering their curious cry at various times during the night. 

 The Spectacled Flying Fox was also seen passing overhead, on 

 its way to some feeding ground. In the beforementioned China- 

 man's garden the various vegetables grew to perfection, despite 

 the tropical climate, but, being situated on the banks of the 

 Annan River, there was a good water supply. 



Next day we resumed our way, and found the road much more 

 hilly and with more timber, and at one place passed through a 

 belt of scrub and enjoyed the coolness of the deep shade. 

 Here the mound of a Megapode was noticed, of considerable 

 dimensions, being about fourteen feet wide at the base by six 

 feet high ; but the birds had not commenced to lay. Further on 

 we passed the junction of two streams — one was beautifully clear, 

 but the other very muddy, which was caused by the tin-mining 

 carried on near its source. We passed a tin-miner busy washing 

 away a small portion of the side of the hill, and the water-race 

 he had constructed was 3 miles long. Some portions of the 

 track were very hilly, and when scrambling up a sheep incline I 

 passed by a pair of Black-breasted Turnix (T. melanogaster ), 

 which were exceedingly tame, and let me approach within a foot 



