1/8 AuDAS, Botanical Gleanings on [ "^jan 



months ; and another leads over what has been called the 

 " Devil's Backbone," and thence through " Hell's Gates." It 

 is interesting to note the variety in the geological formation oi 

 the country, which changed within a distance of thirty miles 

 from limestone to sandstone, grey granite, and blue granite, 

 as we ascended. The famous limestone cliffs of the Tambo 

 River are very beautiful, and it is known that they are under- 

 mined by caves of considerable size ; but, as they have never 

 been properly explored, their nature must remain a matter of 

 conjecture. 



At Tambo Crossing there were a great many bushes of the 

 Woolly Bitter-bush, Adriana tomentosa, which belongs to the 

 Euphorbiaceae, a noted poisonous order, and is said to have a 

 deleterious effect on stock. At Doctor's Flat and Swift Creek 

 there was nothing botanically worth recording, but we met 

 with a flock of Gang-Gang Cockatoos. Callocephalum galeaium, 

 flying among the trees, and their gorgeous plumage brightened 

 up an otherwise rather dull landscape. 



Ensay is the centre of a rich agricultural district. Its verdant 

 hills, some cultivated from base to summit, were seen at their 

 best. Here the river is crossed by a suspension-bridge for foot 

 traffic, raised to a high altitude, in case of floods, but there is 

 no provision for vehicular traffic, and the four coach-horses, 

 well used to the work, plunged boldly in and forded the stream. 

 The windings of the river are so numerous that we forded it 

 again within half a mile, and. in fact, between Ensay and 

 Cassilis it is necessary to cross six rivers in this manner. 



The little township of Cassilis lies nestling in a long, narro\\- 

 valley between hills on either side so high that one wonders 

 if the genial sunlight could ever penetrate its secluded but 

 comfortable-looking homes, whose inhabitants mostly draw 

 their sustenance from the Cassilis Mine, situated two miles 

 further back among the hills. This mine, which, when in full 

 swing, employs about 300 men, has one of the most up-to-date 

 mining plants in the Commonwealth. All the power required 

 for working the machinery of the mine, and also the 20-head 

 battery, is supplied by electricity, which is conveyed 15 miles 

 from the power station on Victoria River, at Cobungra. The 

 quartz from the mine is very highly mineralized, and only a 

 very small percentage of the gold is extracted at the battery, 

 but it is afterwards treated by cyanide at Cassilis and the con- 

 centrates sent on by boat to Cockle Creek, near Newcastle. 

 New South Wales, for still further treatment in the smelters. 

 A little beyond Cassilis an outcrop of copper (the only one in 

 the district) was pointed out to me. the ore from which has 

 been treated and found to contain a high percentage of copper ; 



