116 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



62°, sliowing that an anticline occurs somewhere about Sassafras 

 Creek. Mr. Mason kindly offered to show us a short cut over 

 the range to tlie Benambra valley, to save the long route down 

 the Gibbo River and up Morass (Murphy's) Creek. This offer 

 was gladly accepted, and about i p.m. we set off southwards 

 up a steep spur. Between 3 and 4 miles from Mason's claim 

 we reached a point about 1,500 feet above the river, 

 where the ridge takes a sharp turn to the east, and we lost 

 some time through taking a wrong spur. When the right course 

 was recovered it was getting late, and darkness found us at an 

 altitude of about 4,300 feet at the head of Turnback Creek, on a 

 very rocky, narrow ridge. The strata along this range are chiefly 

 indurated siliceous sandstones with a few thin beds of bluish-grey 

 slates. Tiiey strike generally N.N.W., and dip to W.S.W., still 

 showing the western limb of the Sassafras anticline. This was a 

 sorry camp in every way. There was no water, very (aw shrubs, 

 and little grass for the horses, but we close hobbled them and 

 turned them loose ; then pitched camp on the least rocky place. 

 Mr. Mason disappeared into the blackness of the Big Creek 

 valley, returning after a long, stiff climb with a billy of water, and 

 we soon had tea. Here the Bull-dog Ant, Myrmecia sanguinea, 

 again came into evidence. While drinking some tea, Mr. Thorn 

 was bitten and stung on the tongue and lip by one of them. On 

 going into the tent to put down the blankets we discovered numbers 

 of these ants. A candle had been left burning, and the light 

 had deceived them. They were over everything — blankets, pack 

 saddles, provisions, walls of the tent — but we were not inclined 

 to shift, so simply killed all visible and lay down. A startled 

 whinny roused us, and we found that three of the horses were 

 missing. A faint tinkle of the bell showed where they were — far 

 down the ridge to the river — and we were compelled to bring them 

 back and tie them to trees near the camp. Another lost day was 

 thus narrowly averted. 



25th March. — In the morning we continued our journey along 

 the steadily rising ridge, covered with Mountain Peppermints and 

 Snow Gums, and rounded the source of Big Creek. The ridge 

 here trends N.E. to a high point, close on 5,000 feet, about 700 

 feet higher than the last camp, and from this point we had a fine 

 view of the Omeo district. The strata, still the same kind of 

 rocks, dip to E , indicating the eastern limb of the anticline. 

 Near here Mr. Mason left us, and we descended 1,900 feet into 

 the Benambra Valley. On the way another Copper-headed 

 Snake, 3 feet 3 inches long, was killed, at an altitude of about 

 4,600 feet, and far from any water. The timber on this slope 

 consisted of Peppermint, Blackbutt and Messmate, with very 

 dense Native Hop and Hazel scrub ; while near the floor of the 

 valley there was a strip of Blue Gums, Encahjjdus globulus. We 

 found a splendid place for a camp at a fine spring coming from a 



