170 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Hakea ulicina, Ooodia lotifolia, Acacia veriicillata, and Acacia 

 linearis (known as Willow Scrub). Amongst these shrubs small 

 birds were innumerable. The four robins, the Blue Wren, the 

 White-shafted Fantail being most prominent, while Ground 

 Thrushes, Ground Larks, and Waxbills were also numerous. 

 The discordant cawing of a Crow or Raven out of sight entitles 

 one or the other to a place in our list, but we are not sure which. 



Apart from the taming effect of the snow on the birds generally, 

 and this was marked, we found a Wagtail busily feeding on the 

 flies and moscjuitoes which were annoying an old teamster horse, 

 the Wagtail being quite indifferent to our presence ; and a 

 Yellow Robin, rummaging on the footboard of a wrecked waggon 

 on the Spur, but whether for seed or insects we could not 

 determine, allowed us to approach within arm's length. 



About the foot of the Blacks' Spur, on the northern side, the 

 bracken is almost ousted in places by Acacia verticillata, A. 

 linearis, A. oxycedrus, Platijlohium forniosum, Hakea ulicina, 

 and Daviesia lutifoUa which grew about eight or ten feet high, 

 whilst almost up to the Hermitage Acacia linearis was abundant, 

 and Goodia lotifolia in fair quantity. The bark of the eucalypts 

 showed the characteristic tearing and ripping done by Black 

 Cockatoos seeking for grubs. We saw only a few of these birds 

 on the wing. Both Gang Gang and White Cockatoos screeched 

 angrily at our intrusion. 



Acacia oxycedrus grows luxuriantly here, but with a smaller 

 leaf than the spreading bushes found about Sandringham, &c. 

 Telratheca cillata was poor ; Kennedya nionophyUa, Goodenia 

 ovata, Billardiera scandens and £. longiflora, Pinielea axijlora, 

 HymenantlLera banksii, Bossicea cinereus, Veronica derwenlia, 

 Aster ramulosus, A. stellulatus, Hovea heterofhylla were all more 

 or less common. From many of the tall eucalypts hung 

 bunches of Mistletoe, Loranthus jjendulus, and already much 

 good timber is threatened by this pest. 



On the Spur heights we observed much that had been 

 previously overlooked, and small birds were twittering in every 

 bush, delighting in the thickets of Fomaderris apetala, &c. 

 Aster aryophyllus, Musk, was in bud. The Native Mulberry, 

 Hedycarya citnninghaini was in flower. Glycine scandens in 

 bloom twined about Pimelea axijlora, but oi Pimelea llgustrina 

 we saw nothing. Exocarpus cupressif'ormis bore young fruit. 



The deep, cool gullies are filled with Native Beech or Myrtle, 

 Fagus cunningfLumi, Musk, Sassafras, AtJierosperma moschatntn, 

 Fomaderris apetala, a little Native Olive, Notehra llgustrina, 

 Blanketwood, Senecio bedfordii, in bud, and the Christmas Tree, 

 Frostanthera lasiantlia. The rich fernery of these gullies is 

 well known, but the photograph by Mr. Lindt shown to-night 

 pictures beauty in fernland which would be hard to equal 



