June."! 

 ■9<5 J 



Excursion to Sydenham. 25 



illustrated reports of previous Club visits have appeared in the 

 Naturalist for November, 1900 (vol. xvii., p. 120), and July, 

 ign (vol. xxviii., p. 51), further description now is unnecessary. 

 Having spent an hour in examining the columns and their 

 surroundings and speculating on the cause of such a unique 

 feature, the majority of the party returned to the car. and 

 motored round to the Sunbury road, and along it to Bulla. 

 In the meantime half a dozen of the more active members had 

 walked across the basaltic plateau to the entrenched meander 

 on the Deep Creek, or Saltwater River, figured in Professor 

 Gregory's " Geography of Victoria," thence across the granite 

 outcrop opposite " Glenara," to the Bulla school, near which 

 an occurrence of kaolinized granite has been worked for com- 

 mercial purposes. Joining the motor party in the village, 

 afternoon tea was partaken of, then the journey was resumed 

 to town, which was reached about 7 p.m. The outing proved 

 thoroughly enjoyable, and was voted an improvement on the 

 former way of reaching the " Organ Pipes " — by a three-mile 

 walk across the plains from Sydenham station. The only plants 

 found in bloom interesting to the botanists were the Austral 

 Tobacco, Nicotiana suaveolens, Leh., and the Creeping Monkey- 

 flower, Mimulus repots. R. Br. An introduced plant, 

 Cucumis myriocarpus, Naud., an African native, known as the 

 Gooseberry Cucumber, was conspicuous in many places on 

 account of its globular fruits. — A. L. Scott. 



A Kookaburra Note. — Whilst in the Blackwood district, 

 in the southern portion of Western Australia. I have frequently 

 watched the Kingfishers and little Blue Wrens. &c, with great 

 pleasure, and have seen the Kookaburra (Laughing Jackass) 

 fly up into a tree with a small snake in its bill ; but whilst in 

 the Marysville district early this year I was greatly interested 

 in watching a fight for food between two Laughing Jackasses 

 and I have been asked to relate the little story to you to-night. 

 A fine big Jackass flew up into a large dead gum-tree, perching 

 on a bough some distance from the ground. In its bill it held 

 a snake — I should say about a couple of feet long — one end 

 ol which hung longer than the other. Barely had it settled 

 when up came another "Jacky" and grabbed the longer end 

 of the dangling snake. In vain the owner tried to shake the 

 intruding bird off. but the newcomer bung on tighl ami 

 whirled itself round and round in a circle, Mill suspended in the 

 air. until the poor bird on the branch was forced either to let 

 go of the snake or else it broke in two I don't know which ; 

 at any rate, off flew the greedy victor with the prize, leaving the 

 pom- owner disconsolate. Amy V. Fui ler. eo 5/15. 



