Dec] 



Hardy, The Forests of Victoria. 113 



Among the larger feathered police of the woods are the Lyre- 

 bird, Crow, Owl, Owlet Nightjar, Mopoke, Magpie, Kookaburra, 

 Grallina, Coachwhip-bird, Harmonious Thrush, Kestrel — often 

 mistaken for the Sparrow-Hawk — and Cuckoo. Before the 

 introduction of European bees, several native species, Nomia 

 nietallica, &c, small beetles, brush-tongued parrots and other 

 honey-eaters, were pollinating agents. These remain, but 

 innumerable swarms of domestic bees, farmed and wild, assist 

 in transferring the pollen of the. forest trees. Other useful 

 insects are the ichneumon flies, dragon-flies, mantis, wasps, 

 hornets — all accounting for much creeping, crawling, and 

 saltatorial vermin. In passing may be mentioned an un- 

 conscious insecticide — the ascomycetous fungus Cordyceps 

 Taylori, known by the vernacular first applied to a New Zealand 

 congener — "Vegetable Caterpillar" — and which parasitical]}' 

 does to slow death many terrestrial grubs. Spiders and 

 carnivorous centipedes are also useful. 



The stream-side flora is protected, for this, in addition to 

 preventing erosion of the banks, serves the further useful pur- 

 pose of lessening evaporation and giving shade and shelter to 

 aquatic insectivora, such as platypus and fish, of which the 

 former captures larvae, &c, on the mud-banks, and the latter 

 secures forms at the bottom, wind-blown insects at the surface, 

 and makes many an aerial capture. 



The State Forest Department is, among many other works, 

 busily engaged in improving the North Central forests, which 

 contain principally box and ironbark timber trees. Gangs of 

 men are methodically clearing away debris, forming fire-breaks, 

 fencing areas to regulate, grazing and exclude rabbits, and 

 destroying the parasitic growth of mistletoe (Loranthus, spp.) 

 The Department is also co-ordinating with the Agricultural 

 Department, and through its Fisheries and Game branch is 

 creating forest sanctuaries, where refuge may be taken by 

 insectivorous birds. Improvement of other forests is also in 

 progress, but a much greater population than Victoria at 

 present possesses will be requisite, for the conditions which would 

 make practicable a large scheme of improvement of the virgin 

 forests of the State. 



The nurseries at Macedon, Creswick, and Broadford provide a 

 steady output of both hardwood and coniferous plants for the 

 plantations in various parts of the State, among which may be 

 mentioned Frankston, Creswick, Maryborough, Dimboola, 

 French Island, You Yangs, and Broadford — altogether, some 

 10,000 acres being thus occupied. 



Great areas ol dense and almost impenetrable forest, 

 innocent <>l track that man can follow, defy effective patrol. 

 Some day, perhaps, every taxpayer in the country will realize 



