THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 139 



by grew a fine tree of Persoonia arborea (in fruit), also Fittosporum 

 bicolor. A few ferns, sucli as Lomaria /luviatilis, Polypodium 

 decomposilum, having been added to our collection, we worked 

 our way down to the water-race, where several more ferns were 

 secured for home cultivation. Before leaving the race a bush of 

 the white-flowered variety of Uriostemon hillehrandi was observed. 

 After a scramble down the hillside, the hotel was reached again 

 about 7 p.m., none the worse for the trip, but rather tired after 

 our six-mile walk and climb, which, from a collector's point of 

 view, was hardly worth the exertion entailed. 



Monday morning promised to be hot, so we determined to 

 work up Scotchman's and Backstairs Creeks towards Old War- 

 burton. These valleys afford visitors to Warburton an excellent 

 picture of bush scenery with comparatively little trouble, for a well- 

 made pathway is cut along the hill sides, from which numerous 

 pretty glimpses of tree ferns. Musk, Hazel, Native Laburnum, 

 Privet-leaved Pimelea, Dogwood, and other shrubs, some in bloom, 

 others just over, are obtained. A pretty little labiate growing 

 here was Teucrium corymbosum. At the head of the creek the 

 country opens out, and one can return down another track to the 

 township, but we decided to follow the old road towards West 

 Warburton, and though we had a long, hot walk of nearly three 

 miles from that township back to the hotel, still the two miles 

 and a half from Old Warburton down to the main road was all 

 that could be desired from a botanist's point of view. The road 

 is cut along the side of a ridge sloping down to Yankee Jim's 

 Creek, the scene of much sluicing in the early days, but now 

 having its opposite side scarred with a timber tram. The valley 

 itself is a delightful picture of shrubbery, &c. On our left the 

 hillside was gay with flowers, here the deep yellow Pultencea 

 muelleri, there the orange-red of Eutaxia empetrijolia, brilliant 

 in the extreme, or the delicate pink or deep magenta of 

 Tetratheca ciliata. I'ultencea daphnoides was over, but Sphcero- 

 lobium vhnineAim was very fine and abundant. As we descended, 

 the bright blue orchid, Thelymitra aristata, was fairly common, 

 and finally we reached a tract of country which, from its 

 vegetation, put one in mind of the heath ground at Sandringham. 

 Here Dillwynia Jloribunda was very brilliant, Boickea diffusa, 

 Eucalyptus guniiii, the beautiful blue Dianella ccerulea, Pater- 

 sonia glauca, and others were added to our list. We then turned 

 homewards along the road, and found it hot and dusty after the 

 wooded hillsides. After lunch two ardent explorers made the 

 final trip of the outing, across the river to the falls on the Yithan 

 Creek, close to which may be seen large bushes or trees of 

 Correa lawrenciana, Coprosma billardieri, &c., also Asplenium 

 umbrosam and other ferns ; but during the last twelve months 

 much of the vegetation here has been destroyed by the operations 

 of a sawmill and its attendant settlement. As the Yithan rises 



