Via. Nai. 



56 Excursion to Sydenham , Bulla , and Diggers Resl. [^ "^ j,,,^ 



' Hop-bush,' Dodonaa viscosa, the Grej' Box. /:. /iciniphloia- 

 and last, but by no means least, the charming ' Desert Cassia,' 

 C. eremophila. This plant, which, is said to ha\-e occurred 

 freely along the creek just here, is now only to be seen in 

 situations where it is out of the reach of stock. The ' Coast 

 Twinleaf,' Zygophylliim Billardicri, Eutaxia empetrijolia, and 

 Calycothrix tetragona, mentioned by Mr. C. French, jun., in an 

 account of a previous Club excursion (]'ict. Nat., xvii., p. 122) 

 to this creek, were not noticed by us. — C. S. Sutton and P. R. H. 

 St. John." 



I am indebted to !Mr. J. Twyford for the excellent photo- 

 graphs of the " Organ Pipes " and other features of the ex- 

 cursion exhibited to-night. If the picture of the basalt columns 

 be compared with the plate published in the Naturalist of 

 November, 1900 (vol. xvii., p. 120), it will be seen that some 

 alteration has taken place in their appearance during the 

 interval of ten and a half years. The flood waters of the Salt- 

 water River have undermined the bases of several of the 

 columns in the centre of the picture, with the result that the 

 whole columns have slipped down at least thirty feet along 

 the vertical joint planes. This picture should be worth re- 

 producing in the Naturalist for the sake of comparison and 

 reference. 



The weather was perfect for such an outing, and altogether 

 I think that, although the walk amounted to nearly fifteen 

 miles, we had a thoroughly enjoyable and profitable day. 

 The botanical members of the party were delighted to find that 

 the season, although autumn, had caused wild flowers to 

 bloom as if it were spring. — R. W. Armitage. 



[At the request of Mr. Armitage, the committee decided to 

 reproduce the picture mentioned above, and also a nearer 

 view of some of the columns shown in the lower right-hand 

 corner of the same picture, which clearly illustrates the regular 

 character of the vertical and cross joints, and which eventually 

 become weathered surfaces like piles of cheeses. — Ed. T7t7. Nat.] 



Ax interesting supplement, entitled " Hints on the Cultivation 

 of Trees, Flowers, and Vegetables, and on the General Improve- 

 ment of School Grounds," was issued by the Education 

 Department with the May Education Gazette and Teachers' Aid. 

 It consists of articles by different teachers on the several sections 

 of the subject, prepared under the direction of Mr. J. P. 

 M'Lennan. Supervisor of Agriculture. Education Department. 

 j\Iuch of the information given will be found useful by the 

 average amateur gardener. 



