88 Hakt, Eucalypts about Cresivick and Clunes. [voi!*^xxxiv 



been commoner in the earlier stages of the history of the 

 plains, before even the present imjierfect drainage system had 

 been established. On the bluestonc there also occur shallow 

 basins of some extent, of which Lake Wendouree, at Ballarat, 

 and the Eglinton Swamps, north of Clunes, may be taken as 

 examples. These will silt up in time or be drained by the 

 cutting of an outlet. The deposits formed in them and ex- 

 posed later may be purely of basaltic origin or in part carried 

 from some other source, but are likely to be mostly clayey. 

 Such an explanation would lit an extensive wet and clayey 

 flat a couple of miles north-west of Clunes. 



The Trees oj the Volcanic Country. — ^The volcanic country 

 may be considered in three parts — the plains about Clunes 

 and to the north and north-west, below i,ioo feet elevation ; 

 the plains about North Creswick. at a higher elevation (up to 

 over 1,500 feet) ; and the high volcanic country about Newlyn 

 and Dean, which reaches to elevations at its highest parts of 

 over 2,000 feet, and was forest country in its natural condition. 

 The boundaries are not, of course, sharp. 



The characteristic tree of the plains about and lieyond 

 Clunes is Eucalyptus rostrata, the Red Gum. E. leiicoxylou. 

 Yellow Gum, and E. hemiphloia. Grey Box, also occur, but are 

 relatively few in numbers. The Blackwood. Acacia melan- 

 oxylon, is also present. These trees also occur off the plain in 

 suitable situations in the vicinity. Yellow (ium and Grey Box 

 are evidently much commoner off the plain. 



South of the Stony Creek school, about seven miles north- 

 west of Clunes, there is a strip of volcanic country at about 

 1,050 feet elevation. The trees on the plain are here all Red 

 Gum on the part which is purely volcanic, but on the north 

 side, where detritus from adjacent bedrock hills has spread 

 out at the edge of the plain. Yellow (ium appears in abundance, 

 and there is a rapid transition as we leave the basaltic soil from 

 purely Red Gum to jiredominant Yellow (ium, very soon 

 withcmt any Red Gum. On the south side of the same 

 volcanic area Yellow Box is common on the lower slopes ol 

 granitic hills, and mixes with the Red Gum towaids the valK y. 

 but it was not seen on the ])lain. I mention this as Yellow 

 Box appears on the plain at North Crcswi( k ; hew it lui^ 

 evidently every opportunity of access from both sides. So 

 also Grey Box is close by on the north without occurring on 

 the basalt lie re. 



At another place, nearer Clunes, ^'ellow Gum occurs on tlic 

 l)lain, but the soil is not purely \-ol<anic, ;uul on welter gronnd 

 close by Red Gum occurs without Yellow (ium. Jiut botli 

 Yellow (ium and (irey Ho\ do occur in small numbers on 

 undoubteri volcanir country with basalt outcrops in the soil. 



