THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 109 



camp material for a three weeks' trip, so obtained another pack- 

 horse, and leaving Cravenville began a long, steep climb of 

 about 700 feet up a spur of fine-grained pink and pinkish-grey 

 granite for about a mile, where dark blue and grey slates and 

 shales occur, with strikes of VV.N.W. to E.N.E. and dips of 75° 

 to 85° to N.N.E. and S.S.E. These strata show well in side 

 cuttings on the track. At an altitude of 770 feet above Craven- 

 ville very fissile grey slates appeared, dipping to W.S.W. at 87°, 

 and striking N.N.W. A fine view of north-western Benambra 

 was obtained from this point, also a glimpse of Mt. Benambra 

 (4,840 feet) to the S.S.W. From here to about 4 miles from 

 Cravenville the strata comprise olive-green and highly ferruginous 

 slates, micaceous shales and thick-bedded siliceous sandstones. 

 They strike from N. to N. 30° W., and dip to E. and S. 60° W. 

 at from 75° to 89°, thus indicating two synclines and one 

 anticline. 



Between this place and the top of the cutting on the range, 

 about 2,470 feet above Cravenville, there is a most interesting 

 series of sections disclosed by the cuttings on the track. The 

 main mass of the rocks consists of red, brown, yellow and white 

 contorted, pitted and nodular micaceous and argillaceous schists, 

 quartzites, and altered sandstones, containing not fewer than 18 

 dykes of granite,* varying in width from 5 to 130 feet. Most of 

 them have a general N.E. and S.W. strike ; one has a N. and S. 

 strike, and another an E. and W. one. They have undoubtedly 

 been intruded into Ordovician slates and sandstones, changing 

 these rocks into metamorphic ones. The dyke-rocks consist very 

 largely of orthoclase, quartz and muscovite, with here and there 

 some biotite, while one of them contains a considerable quantity 

 of schorl. Reefs and veins of quartz occur in this strip, the 

 largest noticed being 3 feet wide and bearing N.E. Payable 

 gold does not, however, appear to have been obtained here or in 

 Tallangatta valley. Whether that is due to its scarcity or the 

 want of careful prospecting remains to be proved. 



About 5 miles from Cravenville, at about 3,900 feet, the track 

 to Glendart reaches its highest point, the side cuttings disappear, 

 and it passes south easterly over an undulating plateau of quartz 

 and quartz- felspar porphyry, covered with good grass, Black- 

 butts, and Snow Gums. The Grey Magpie, Laughing Jackass, 

 and the King Lory were the only birds heard, and, though good 

 country for kangaroos, not one was noticed. About 5 miles 

 further on we reached the Half-way Spring (about 3,380 feet). 

 One of the led horses, apparently suffering from the effects of an 

 old fistula, had been standing on his hind legs every now and 

 then and lashing out without warning, so we changed the pack to 



* The term "granite," wherever appearing in this paper, is used in its 

 popular sense. The rock probably contains hornblende in some places, and 

 appears to merge into porphyr y, as is the case in various parts of the State. 



