THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 125 



Hills), where we were heartily welcomed by the leader and his 

 family. During the railway journey we got numerous glimpses of 

 flowers along the line, principally composites, but what species 

 we were unable to determine. After luncheon at " Dunbar," the 

 leader said, as the visitors were more inclined to botany than 

 geology, that a visit to the Lerderderg Ranges would be more 

 productive of flowers than the Werribee Gorge, and off"ered to 

 drive us thither, which we gladly accepted, as the day was rather 

 hot for walking. So, taking our seats in our host's buggy, we were 

 soon on the way to the ranges. Passing several fertile farms and 

 over some well-grassed paddocks, we soon reached the Korkuper- 

 rimul Creek, where we left the buggy and any extra impedimenta 

 for the present, and prepared for some hard work. Striking up a 

 little valley, we found everything very dry. Numerous legumin- 

 aceous shrubs, such as PuUencea daplmoides, Daviesia corymhosa, 

 and Acacia armata, were bearing their burdens of seed-pods. As 

 we ascended we did a little better. Helichrysuin obcordatum was 

 noted, and presently what was at first glance thought to be a 

 Styphelia, but turned out to be Braclnjloma da}>hnoides. Another 

 dwarf shrub obtained was Trachymene billardieri, belonging to the 

 Umbelliferag, but it was not quite in flower. As we neared the 

 crest of the range, a very stony hill was ascended — a very unlikely 

 place for orchids, one would say ; but here Fterostylis rufa grew in 

 abundance, several plants being found with three and four blooms 

 on the stem. Diuris longifolia was also noticed, and a pretty 

 little Veronica, V. calycina, was common among the stones. 

 Arrived at the top we found an extensive valley spread out before 

 us, the sides covered with a thick growth of scrubby Eucalypts, 

 &c., principally E. leucoxylon and E. behriawf, with the Lerder- 

 derg River about 1,300 feet below. The descent was somewhat 

 rough, as the hillside was composed of loose, thin flakes of stone, 

 the result of the weathering of the Silurian rocks. However, 

 after numerous slips and slides, we got down to firmer ground, 

 and finally reached the river some three or four miles above the 

 sire of the "camp-out " in 1899. Num.erous flowering shrubs 

 attracted our attention here, and while some bathed, others 

 rambled about and secured specimens of Aster stellulatus, Clematis 

 aristata, Veronica j^erfoliata, V. derwentia, Myoporum viscostim, 

 Prostanthera nivea, F. rotundifolia, Beyeria viscosa, Acacia decur- 

 rens, Helichrysum lucidum, &c. A young Eucalyptus, apparently 

 E. globulus, afforded some extremely long leaves, one of which 

 measured 14 inches along the mid-rib. But we could not stay 

 too long, as that 1,300-foot hill had to be climbed ere we could 

 reach our buggy, so, shouldering our specimens, we found an old 

 gold-miner's track, which zig-zagged up a spur, and in time 

 reached the top, on the way adding Euphixisia brownii (stunted 

 specimens) and Eucalyptus mdliodora to our collections. Arrived 



