46 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



another Club member, Mr. H. B. Williamson, of Hawkesdale, 

 and after a ride of two hours across the plains, through which 

 the Little Wimmera flows, arrived at " Pomona," picturesquely 

 situated at the foot of Mt. Cassell, an elevation of about 3,000 

 feet, one of the outliers of the Grampians towards the north. 



We turned in soon after our arrival, as our programme for the 

 first day of our stay in the district required an early start in the 

 morning, and you may rest assured that with such prospects as 

 we had in view we were up betimes. After breakfast we set out 

 along the track for Mt. Cassell. Leaving the houue, we had first 

 to pass the orchard surrounding the residence of " Pomona." 

 Here vigorous fruit trees, planted with elegant neatness — a delight 

 to the artist's eye — showed unmistakable evidence of the careful 

 management of the plantation, which is enclosed in a semicircle 

 by the well-timbered slopes of the mountains, the effect produced 

 at early morning being delightful to contemplate. 



Passing the orchard, we immediately iDegan our climb up 

 the steep side of the mount, and in spite of the advanced period 

 of the season were able to secure a number of species in flower, 

 such as Sphcerolobium daviesioides, Calycothrix suUivajii, 

 Geranium rodneyanum, Hahea rostrata, Arthropodium Jiinbri- 

 atum, and others. The top of the mount was reached about 

 noon, when we were sorry to have to part for the rest of the day 

 from our host, Mr. R. Wettenhall, who had to return to his home. 



Acting on this gentleman's advice, we decided to descend the 

 mount on the other side, in order to reach Barney's Creek, which 

 leads on to the " pipe track " of the Stawell water supply. 

 Nothing extraordinary in plant life was there observed, with the 

 exception of specimens of the proteaceous shrub Conospermitm 

 viitchellii, and at Barney's Creek Leptospermum flavescens, 

 festooned by the lovely Alarianthus hignoniacPAis, which we 

 collected at the foot of a bold granite mass called Barney's Castle. 



Having had to cut our way through the dense under-scrub of 

 this well-timbered part of the Grampians, we were indeed highly 

 pleased when, about four o'clock in the afternoon, we reached the 

 open part of the country which was cleared for the construction 

 of the waterworks. In walking along this picturesque part of the 

 Grampians we collected, among others, some specimens of Ixodia 

 achiUoides, Brachj/lo/na depressiom, B. ciliatum, and Halorrhagis 

 teucrioides. About seven in the evening we reached the tunnel 

 of the waterworks. This is bored through the range separating 

 Fyans Creek from the plains of the Little Wimmera, but in order 

 to reach our point of departure we had to cross the range, and 

 it was therefore fairly dark when we again reached '' Pomona." 



The following day we decided to follow the track back as far as 

 the tunnel, and thence to cross Fyans Creek, and visit the Silver- 

 band Falls. However, unfavourable conditions of weather 



