158 THE V1CT0HIAN NATUKALIST. 



cannot eat then is put on one side until they are hungry again. 

 Birds and other things they kill are cooked in the same way, but 

 if they are very hungry they won't trouble about the stones. It 

 was astonishing how much meat they could get through at one 

 meal. What food they got themselves they counted as extra, as 

 they always expected us to give them the usual quantity at meal 

 time. I used to wonder why the natives shifted their camp so often ; 

 but I don't now, as, although we were only in ours three days, the 

 amount of evil-smelling refuse that the natives had thrown away 

 close to the camp was considerable, and the odour was perceptible 

 on the third day before the camp even came in sight, and being 

 in thick scrub, there was not much breeze to carry it off, and flies 

 and ants were attracted in numbers. If we had had several dogs, 

 instead of only one, it might not have been so bad. The small 

 black ants were very plentiful — too much so for us — but we 

 found no green ants above 500 feet ; but down near the sea-coast 

 they were, practically speaking, everywhere, both in the scrub 

 and open country. Early next morning we were awakened by 

 the notes of the different birds. Quoy's Butcher Bird seems to 

 commence first. Many of the calls were very curious, as, for in- 

 stance, Newton's Bower-Bird, Prionodnra Newtoniana, makes a 

 noise exactly like a frog does when being caught. Then, again, 

 the Queensland Cat-bird, Orthonyx, and the Pitta all have strange 

 cries. A Pheasant-tail Pigeon, Macropygia j^hasianella, was shot 

 in a tree over our heads, and was plucked and eaten by the blacks 

 within fourteen minutes of being shot. 



After breakfast a start was made for Peter Botte, about a mile 

 distant. We could only obtain a view of it from our camp by 

 climbing up a tree and so getting above the surrounding scrub ; but 

 our old guide led the way, marking a track as he went along. We 

 soon crossed one romantic-looking stream, the bed being full of 

 big boulders, and the water cold and clear, but no fish were seen 

 in it. After a time we suddenly*came on about two acres of solid 

 bare granite rock, covered with black lichen ; it was a great 

 relief to get out of the scrub and to be able to get a more distant 

 view. On ascending to the upper portion we caught sight of 

 Peter Botte, seemingly quite close, with its higher peak enveloped 

 in clouds. In the hollows in the rock a grassy-looking plant grew 

 very thickly ; it clung to the rock, and being very tough, was 

 difficult to get off; the ends of its narrow leaves were very sharp 

 and prickly, but we did not find that out until my companion sat 

 down on its soft-locking surface to rest — but he did not stay there 

 long. There was a beautiful ground orchid in flower, its petals 

 being deep pink, covered with black spots, and in the hollows 

 between the rocks patches of coral fern and several other plants 

 grew, which I noticed were similar to those in Gippsland, Victoria. 



On passing on we found a valley between ourselves and our 



