90 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



about II o'clock. The route taken was E.N.E. to Towong (6 

 miles), near Mt. Elliott, where a good deal of gold mining was 

 going on in small reefs at and near the contact of granite with 

 Ordovician sediments. Here we saw some Black Jays, Strulhidea 

 cinerea. Thence descending on to the Murray River flats, we 

 crossed this river two miles on, just below its junction with a large 

 tributary from the S.E., the Gehi. The Murray River com- 

 mences at this junction ; above it the main stream is known as 

 the Indi. We were then in New South Wales, and continued 

 along the broad valley of the Gehi through the Khancoban run, 

 where we were much amused at the antics of a large mob of fat 

 bullocks that galloped over to and surrounded us. As we 

 advanced, those in front opened out and let us through, while 

 those behind broke away and lined up ahead. Thus we had an 

 avenue of tossing heads and whisking tails for several hundred 

 yards. They were very playful, and thoroughly enjoyed them- 

 selves till the novelty wore off, when they galloped away. The 

 camp was pitched 'neath a pretty lightwood, and we soon had tea. 

 Late at night we fell asleep to the squawking of two Opossums, 

 Trichosur^is vuljiecula, and the " mopoke " of the Boobook Owl, 

 Ninox boobook. 



30th March. — Early this morning we were awakened by the 

 lively warblings of Magpies, Gymnorhina iibicen. We struck 

 camp early and pushed on. The valley rapidly narrowed, and 

 the track left it and bore over a low granite spur towards Black 

 Creek, The forest here was an open one, principally of Pepper- 

 mints, Uucalypiits amygdalina, and Manna Gums, E. viminalis. 

 At Black Creek we found a galvanized iron hut, and two stock- 

 men in temporary occupation. They asked us to stay there that 

 night, but we wished to camp in the Gehi hut, some 8 miles 

 further on, so left them, with the assurance that a " block and 

 tackle " would be needed to get the packhorse safely down the 

 " Gehi Wall." The country was still timbered, like the last 

 passed over, and the rocks granitic, with large bosses standing 

 out in places. A good deal of snow-white manna lay under the 

 gums, and we collected and ate handfuls of it. This forest was 

 as silent as the last ; the only sounds heard were the plaintive 

 notes of the King Lory, Aprosmicttos cyanopygius, and the 

 mellow ones of that typical forest bird, the Grey Magpie, Slrepera 

 cuneicaudata. In places there were fine patches of Kanj^aroo 

 Grass, Anthistiria ciliata. Suddenly, in one of these places, an 

 " old man " Kangaroo, Macropus giganteus, sprang up from his 

 afternoon siesta, and with a few jumps was out of sight. This was 

 the only kangaroo seen during this trip. Near the " Gehi Wall " 

 the character of the timber suddenly improved, and we entered a 

 splendid forest of straight-stemmed, valuable trees, probably over 

 200 feet high. They were chiefly Blue Gums, Jiiicaly2)ius globulus, 



