17*3 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXIV. 



Queen Victoria Rifle-bird, and other tropical forms. We were 

 fortunate in seeing one male and two female Rifle-birds, but saw 

 no traces of the first-named creatures. Birds are extremely plenti- 

 ful here, and I was indeed sorry that my condition prevented me 

 from doing any walking, as the botanical treasures alone are 

 well wortli the journey, while the scrubs must be teeming with 

 the lower forms of animal and plant life. 



I had almost omitted to mention Cardwell, situated between 

 Townsville and Geraldton, and formerly known as Rockingham 

 Bay. It was at this place, which is probably richer in splendid 

 tropical plants than any other part of Queensland, that the late 

 Mr, John Dallachy spent many years in collecting for the late 

 Baron von Mueller ; and collecting was at that time no mere 

 child's play, the blacks being then very hostile and treacherous, 

 so that a man, as the saying goes, carried his life in his hands. 

 At that time, thirty years ago, there was no settlement at Rocking- 

 ham Bay, a few solitary cattle stations being the only signs of 

 civilization for hundreds of miles around, and amid such sur- 

 roundings the pioneers of this part of Australia settled, and our 

 old botanical collector worked and died. I had heard a great 

 deal about this place, but getting from a large steamer on to a small 

 tender was not conducive to the comfort of a rheumatic patient, 

 so I had to try and content myself with what I had heard and 

 seen of the Indo-Malayan plants of this district. 



We left Cairns with some reluctance, and proceeded to our 

 destination, Cooktown. I had a very kind invitation from Mr. F. 

 W. Barnard, of the Mosman River, near Port Douglas, to visit his 

 place, but, although he took the trouble to board the vessel in 

 the middle of the night, I was unable to face the trip ; and for a 

 description of the beautiful country around the Mosman I must 

 refer our members to the very excellent account given in the 

 Club's journal for January, 1899 (vol. xv., p. 104), by his 

 cousin, our Mr. F. G. A. Barnard, when describing his visit 

 to Northern Queensland. At the Mosman and about Gerald- 

 ton, on the Johnstone River, is to be seen some of the 

 finest jungle country in tropical Australia, the rainfall at 

 Geraldton being recorded in feet instead of inches. The 

 Mosman is now one of the principal sugar-growing districts in 

 Queensland. The Daintree River, which is a little further north, 

 is classic ground to our Club, as it was from here that I first 

 obtained from a naturalist friend fruits of the fine palm, Nipa 

 fruticans, then new for Australia, a record of this exhibit bemg 

 in our Club's journal. This plant was afterwards found by the 

 late Mr. Pentzke, who was then collecting for Baron von Mueller. 



Cooktown, as we all know, is an historical spot, the fine 

 monument reminding one of the illustrious navigator who first 

 cast his anchor in the Endeavour River. At Cooktown were seen 



