Vo!. XXVI I, 

 1911 



1 Al'vas, Wandeyings in East Gippsland. 173 



situated, and to whom I am indebted for much interesting 

 information regarding the locahty), I ascended the mount, the 

 base of which is of granitic formation, while the summit is 

 sandstone, of the same age as the old red sandstone of Scotland. 

 Natural vegetation has all been removed from the sides of the 

 mount, but on the summit, 1,700 feet above sea level, where 

 a trigonometrical station is situated, Tecoma australis, var. 

 Latrobei, a long, woody climber, was trailing over the rocks, 

 covering them with its pretty blooms of a rich cream colour, 

 with inner circle of carmine. This lovely plant, and four other 

 twiners or climbers, comprised nearly all the flowering vege- 

 tation. On the summit, Comesperma voliibile, a glabrous 

 twiner, spread thickly over the young Silver Wattles, Acacia 

 dcalbata, both being in flower, and the vivid blue of the twiner 

 and the gorgeous yellow of the wattle made a pretty sight. 

 Clematis aristata, which I met in every locality on my wander- 

 ings, w^as here particularly luxuriant, the foliage of the young 

 eucalypts being quite hidden from sight by its flowers, while 

 the magnificent growth and bright red-coloured flowers of 

 Kennedya rubicitnda, a large twining species of the Leguminos?e, 

 everyw^iere attracted the eye. A wiry-stemmed liliaceous 

 climber. Eustrephiis Brownii, peculiar to this part of the State, 

 was forging its way over the boulders. Eucalyptus eugenioides, 

 E. pulverulenta, E. sideroxylon, E. globulus, E. polyanthemos, 

 E. mclliodora, E. obliqua, E. rnacrorvhyncha, and E. auiygdalina 

 comprised the eucalypts. The}^ were not superior specimens, 

 Imt still had grown up sufficiently to somewhat obscure the 

 view, which, from the top, is very extensive. To the west lay 

 Mt. Lookout, at the foot of which was the once famous Boggy 

 Creek gold mines, and where mining is still carried on in a 

 desultory w^ay. Away in the distance were the Lindenow 

 maize flats, wliose richness is maintained to vie with those of 

 Orbost ; and, beyond Bairnsdale, the view of the beautiful 

 lakes extended right to the Entrance. With a good field-glass 

 the vessels may be seen making the Entrance on a clear day, 

 and, when rain is threatening, their whistles can be distinctly 

 heard on the summit — this latter fact constituting a farmer's 

 barometer. The luxuriance of the leguminous vegetation about 

 this part is due to the absence of frost, peas being extensively 

 grown in winter and sent to Melbourne, with profitable results. 

 The only bird-life seen on the mount was a solitary Laughing 

 Jackass, giving forth his peculiar guttural laugh from his perch 

 on a dry eucalypt branch. A great quantity of the railwav 

 sleepers, telegraph ]M)les, and beams for l^ridge work are obtained 

 near the mount. 



I returned to ^lelbourne on the 22nd, having travelled con- 

 siderably over 600 miles, and examined an extensive stretch of 

 country, feeling greatly pleased with the trip. 



