94 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Of larvae we also secured only one specimen, which up to the 

 present has not emerged, and we are more than doubtful if our 

 curiosity as to what it would turn to will be rewarded. That in 

 these pines there breed a large number of rare beetles we are 

 certain, but they require such a deal of searching for that they 

 must be left to those collectors with more time at their disposal 

 and more suitable appliances than we possessed. 



Of course we revisited many of the picturesque spots seen by 

 the members of the Club excursion of 1891, such, for instance, as 

 Venus Pool and Stony Creek and Silverband Falls. All of these, 

 owing to the much heavier rainfall during the past winter, were far 

 and away prettier than on our previous visit. We also visited the 

 gold diggings at the head of Stony Creek, but saw only two men 

 at work, and they informed us they were only making tucker, 

 and intended very shortly shifting to a more likely field. 

 Naturally the place is all cut up, and the water in the creek, 

 which formerly was beautifully clear, was now all muddy. In a very 

 few years the place will again be grown over and look its old self, 

 but owing to the numerous holes that have been sunk, it will 

 never be the same pleasant spot for excursionists. 



Several of the D'Alton family still reside on the Grampians, 

 and of course we paid them a visit, and equally naturally they 

 showed us the same cordial hospitality they did previously. Mr. 

 D'Alton, the author of the Stawell water supply, entertained us 

 with some of his really meritorious poetic effusions, and by the 

 Misses D'Alton we were shown many of their beautiful paintings 

 of native flowers. The merit of these is so well known that they 

 need no praise from us ; suffice it to say that the colours of the 

 flowers are reproduced as naturally as it is possible to do. 



Having decided to return to Stawell by the way we came — viz., 

 by the pipe track — we started early on Thursday morning, the 8th 

 November, and after getting over the hills, rested at the house of 

 Mr. Greaves, whose wife offered us every hospitality. We were, 

 however, anxious to be away, and therefore had to decline her 

 cordial invitation to stay the day. We again tried the Lepto- 

 spermum for beetles, but with no more success than on the 

 previous trial, a week before. On a rather large area, over which 

 a fire had raged last summer, our attention was drawn to what 

 were apparently little sand-mounds, but on closer inspection these 

 proved to be composed of wood castings, evidently thrown out 

 by the larvae of some beetle. Accordingly we made a diligent 

 search, and discovered that the fire, which had completely 

 burnt the upper portion of the Leptospermum bushes, had 

 not destroyed anything below the surface, as the stumps were 

 just beginning to spring again. Into these stumps the larvae had 

 entered, the little mounds showing the first portions of their 

 operations ; they had then securely plugged the entrances and 



