120 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



old camping-place of the previous year, and had a very cold 

 night. 



29th March. — On rising we found, as on the previous trip, that 

 the unwelcome change in the weather was coming, so decided 

 not to shift camp, but to try and reach Mt. Kosciusko on horse- 

 back. Mr. Walker, who was still lame, remained in camp, while 

 Mr. Thorn and I pushed on northwards, up a wide, grassy 

 gulch, between abrupt bluffs of granite. The clouds were rapidly 

 settling down on the mountain, and before we reached the 

 plateau a snowstorm came on before a driving wind. When the 

 snow ceased a heavy fog obscured everything a few chains away. 

 We pressed on for some miles, hoping the clouds would clear 

 ofif, but in vain, so we regretfully returned to camp, full of mis- 

 givings as to the prospects for the morrow. The previous night 

 ihad been so cold that one of the ho'rses, though closely hobbled, 

 had shuffled down into the warm timber, a mile back along the 

 track, so, to prevent tiie risk of losing them all, we reluctandy tied 

 them up at the camp. 



30th March. — The night proved very cold. The morning broke 

 with a heavy frost on the ground. After the sun rose, thick 

 banks of fog collected from the moist ground. We set oflf for 

 the mount, Mr. Walker riding, Mr. Thorn and I walking, so as 

 the better to examine the country. All the shrubs and coarse 

 grass were beautiful under a thick covering of frost till afternoon. 

 We reached the plateau and climbed up one of the numerous 

 bluffs that occur in parallel lines on it, with grassy saddles 

 between them. Here a fine example of a rocking stone was 

 found, and on passing between this bluff and the next one 

 to the north we found that the former gave such a fine echo 

 that we called it Echo Point. These bluffs are due to weather- 

 ing along vertical joints, which occur in great numbers through 

 the granite mass of Kosciusko. On the S.W. slopes of Mt. 

 Etheridge we found some pebbles, which, though not showing 

 any distinct striae, were distinctly grooved, facetted, and polished, 

 and so much resembled glacial stones that we felt no doubt they 

 were of glacial origin. A large patch of snow rested on the S.E. 

 slope of Mt. Kosciusko, while in Kosciusko Valley the clear, still 

 waters of Lake May, with eight Black Ducks swimming about, 

 glistened under the mount. We crossed Ram's Head Pass and 

 rapidly climbed up the slope to the summit of the mount, which 

 we reached about 2.30 p.m , but the views were fleeting, as the 

 big clouds continued their endless procession under a strong gale 

 from the N.N.W. Photography under such circumstances was 

 not promising, but, two of us holding the camera, a panorama 

 from the " Roof of Australia " was obtained, besides a few other 

 views about the valley. Frost action is evidenced everywhere 

 by the sharply cleaved blocks of rock. Viewed from the 

 summit of Kosciusko the absence of arboreal vegetation renders 



