156 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. [Vol. XXV. 



Arriving at last at Bairnsdale (171 miles) the steamer was 

 boarded, and we were very soon making our way down the 

 Mitchell— quite a fine stream here, as streams go in Victoria, and 

 about as wide as the Yarra at Kew. After passing Eagle Point the 

 river turns due east, and in a little while is running between two 

 narrow tongues of land, apparently not more than twenty yards 

 wide in places. These silt jetties, as they are called, project 

 straight out into Lake King for a distance of three miles, separat- 

 ing the river from Jones Bay in the north and Eagle Point Bay in 

 the south, and are continued still further by shoals, in which snags 

 are stranded and rushes are sparely growing. The jetties are 

 made use of for farming and grazing purposes to the very end, 

 and carry some low gums. Melaleuca tenuifolia was here very 

 prevalent, and just breaking into flower. One could not but be 

 surprised to see here so many fishing parties on both banks. 

 Men, women, and children were in dozens, but as far as one 

 could see they were having no luck, not even a nibble coming to 

 them while we were passing. After leaving the channel at the 

 end of the river Shags and Black Swans were seen in great 

 numbers as we made across to Paynesville. The low shores of 

 Raymond Island, covered apparently with thick tea-tree scrub, 

 were passed in the dusk, and it was pitch dark and between 8 and 

 9 o'clock before we at last reached Cunninghame, at the Lakes' 

 Entrance. 



The coach for Orbost was taken the following morning, and, 

 Lake Tyers having broken out into the sea on account of recent 

 heavy rains, we had perforce to go by Nowa Nowa, on the 

 Boggy Creek, which runs into the northern end of the lake. This 

 detour increased the distance to 47 miles, which the coach takes 

 just nine hours to do, on account of the badness of the roads. 

 For some distance beyond Nowa, in fact, the roads are mere 

 tracks, and it was not until we were well on towards the Snowy 

 that a real road made its appearance. 



The season being a late one, flowers were not yet much in 

 evidence. The most prevalent species was Platylohiumformosum, 

 and Prostanthera hirtula extended over a stretch of several miles 

 beyond Nowa. All the Acacias — stricta, melanoxylon, veo'ticellata, 

 and discolor were recognized— except decurrens had done flower- 

 ing, though some still bore the remains of blossom. The country 

 passed over consisted of low ridges of loose, dark, sandy soil, 

 and did not appear to be made much use of, as no stock was 

 noticed and evidence of cultivation only seen in four or five 

 localities. The timber was of moderate size, and of the Eucalypts 

 only amygdalina was in flower. Quite the most interesting 

 moments of the day were spent in a hurried scramble from the 

 bridge down the rocky banks of Boggy Creek, which here, at 

 least, does not deserve the name. In the short time at my 



