THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



A NATURALIST IN THE MALLEE. 

 By C. French, jun. 

 [Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, llth Feb., 1901.) 

 The district known as the Mallee occupies the north-western 

 corner of Victoria, and may be briefly defined as having South 

 Australia and the River Murray for its western and northern 

 boundaries, while an imaginary line drawn from Swan Hill through 

 Donald and Dimboola to Serviceton will give roughly its eastern 

 and southern limits. This area of some 18,000 square miles, 

 which was formerly regarded as uninhabitable, and in great part 

 desert, has gradually been penetrated from various directions by 

 pioneer settlers, who have found many portions suitable for wheat- 

 growing, and have been followed by the necessary railways for 

 conveying their produce to market. Thus no less than six lines 

 of railway now enter this area at different points. From this it 

 will be seen that though to some extent possessing a fauna and 

 flora peculiarly its own, sufficient difference of soil exists to give 

 considerable variety to the natural history of the Mallee. 



Having arranged to spend a brief holiday in the district for the 

 purpose of collecting such natural history specimens as might 

 prove of interest, we decided to make Hopetoun, about 250 

 miles north-west of Melbourne, our starting point. From thence 

 we went westerly some twenty-five miles to Lake Albacutya, 

 thence northerly to Lake Bambrook, and back to Hopetoun vut 

 Pine Plains. 



Soon affer passing Murtoa typical specimens of the Mallee 

 flora, such as Svvainsonias, Helipterums, and Helichrysums begin 

 to appear. At Hopetoun the first plants to attract one's attention 

 are the common everlastings Helipterum corymbijlorum and 

 Ilelichrysum obtiisifolium, the former extending probably for 

 hundreds of miles, its white flowers making the plains look as if a 

 snowstorm had recently taken place. It is singular that these 

 plants are not used for florists' work, especially for funeral 

 wreaths, as the flowers last for a considerable time and do not fall 

 to pieces so easily as many other everlastings. 



Lake Albacutya, distant from Hopetoun about twenty-five miles, 

 was selected as our first collecting ground. On the way sandy 

 Mallee country was passed, the whole of it a huge flower garden. 

 The beautiful large blue-flowered Aster, A. exul, grows everywhere, 

 and as we proceeded further such plants as Loudonia helirii, 

 resembling Stackhousia liitari/olia, Jjusijpelaliini. behrii, a shrub 

 belonging to the SterculiacecC, Erysimum blennodioldes, a crucifer- 

 ous plant with pink and white flowers, and the small yellow- 

 flowered Helipterum jesseni were noticed. Nearing Lake Alba- 

 cutya the Mallee eucalypt, Eucalyjytus gracilis, was noticed in 

 flower, while the White-plumed Honey-eater, Ptilotis penicillata, 



