THE VICTUKIAN NATURALIST. 169 



This was the end of our journey north. Further on the road 

 runs down the ahnost flat lands of the Acheron Valley, crosses the 

 Goulburn near the Acheron junction, and reaches Alexandra 

 i}^ miles beyond that river. On the way, near Taggerty, the 

 road skirts the base of the Cathedral Mount, a rugged mass of 

 sandstone which has intruded into the prevailing Silurian. The 

 creek at the base of tlie mount carries gravel from the granite of 

 the Cerberean Range away to the east, whence the Rubicon 

 River flows northerly. Recently two venturesome residents of 

 Alexandra — Messrs. Muntz, C.E., and Leckie— ascended the 

 Upper Rubicon with much difficulty and discovered there a 

 splendid fall which, with attendant fernery, eclipses both the 

 Stevenson Falls at Marysville and the Banyarnibite Falls on a 

 tributary of the Goulburn near Thornton, about lo miles east of 

 Alexandra, which by many have hitherto been considered the 

 best falls in the State. 



An interesting account of the bird-life of the lower Rubicon 

 River was given to the Club some timo ago by Mr. F. Billing- 

 hurst in a paper entitled " A Day on the Rubicon River " ( Vict. 

 Nat., xix., p. 77). 



With the thawing of the snow birds became more plentiful. 

 Robins were very abundant, the bushes at times appearing 

 to be in bloom with scarlet and pmk flowers. Four species 

 were noted — viz., the Rose-breasted, Erythrodryas rosea, 

 Scarlet-breasted, Petroica leggii. Flame-breasted, Petroeca pluK- 

 nicea, and the Yellow- breasted, Eopsaltria australis. These w^ere 

 common from Fernshaw to Buxton, both on the mountain and 

 the flat. Of the four, the most plentiful was the Scarlet-breasted 

 bird. 



An interesting point noticed was the protective instinct which 

 caused these birds, after a flight from supposed danger, to perch, 

 often at some inconvenience, with their conspicuously coloured 

 breasts turned away from the source of danger. In this position 

 they remained motionless for a time until reassured, when they 

 hopped and flew about as gaily and famiharly as before. 



On our return journey we saw many plants which had pre- 

 viously been invisible, and other birds. In the undulating 

 country between Buxton and Marysville large flocks of Grey 

 Jays were busily poking their beaks into holes in the ground in 

 search of larvae, grubs, &c. Some Red Lories, in their brilliant 

 plumage, flashed past here and there, while occasionally a King 

 Lory crossed our path. Smaller birds, such as Wrens, Tits, 

 Tree-creepers, Robins, and Waxbills seemed to be specially active 

 after a protracted fast, while the introduced Starlings were 

 numerous. Between the spur near Marysville and the Blacks' Spur 

 the undulating Silurian country supported, besides eucalypts, 

 Leptosper mum latiigerum, L. scoparium, Melaleuca squarrosa. 



