498 PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 
the ranges. Taking leave of the Pyrenees, and turning our 
attention to the beautiful Grampians—“ the garden of Victoria ”— 
one feels like a weary traveller coming upon an oasis after 
traversing the dreary desert, that is, from a botanist’s point of 
view. 
The Grampians (in 1871, when I first commenced their 
exploration) were very different indeed from what they are at 
present. They were then a perfect floral paradise. Bush fires 
and sheep have made sad havoc within the last ten or twelve 
years. The Lpacridee abound everywhere on the heath-grounds. 
The incomparable £pacris tmpressa—the queen of native flowers 
—here exhibits its endless variety of colour through all shades, 
from dark-red to the purest white. Contrasted with this, the 
bright-red of Styphelia sonderi, the white and pink of Styphelia 
ericoides, the greenish yellow of Styphelia adscendens, the delicate 
white of Styphelia glacialis, the fiery-red flowers of Dauiesia 
brevifolia, the tall white-flowered spikes of the grass-tree 
(Xanthorrhea australis), with the fine glossy foliage of the young 
trees of Eucalyptus robusta, and you have before you a picture 
that, to be appreciated, must be seen. Crossing the creeks at the 
foot of the mountains, the explorer tears his way through a maze 
of Melaleucas, Leptospermum, Acacias, Pultenzeas, Sprengelias, and 
species of Myrtacez, with charming festoons of the white-flowered 
Clematis aristata, the pretty blue-flowered Comesperma volubile, 
and the rare yellow-flowered Mavianthus bignoniaceus. Then, 
tired from his late exertion, he sits probably on a rock, taking in 
at one view the splendour and variety that nature has lavished 
upon this highly-favoured locality. The prevailing plants close 
to the mountains are Conospermum mitchelli, with immense 
corymbs of white flowers, the white-flowered Brachylomas, 
Kennedya monophylla (native sarsaparilla), grass-trees, Correas, 
Hakeas, Dillwynias, and the Styphelias already alluded to 
Advancing up the stony ridges, the scented Boronias, Eriostemons, 
myrtaceous plants, Pultenzas, Bossivas, and the large white- 
flowered Leptospermum lanigerum are met with everywhere. 
After about three hours’ struggling, the summit of the highest 
peak—Mount William—is reached. The height of Mount 
William is variously recorded at from 4000 to 5200 feet, the 
latter being probably nearest the truth. 
The scenery is, indeed, sublime. To the north-west, forming a 
curved line, are the Grampians, and farther still the dark outline 
of the Black Range, towards the South Australian borders. To 
the north-east is to be seen the bold granitic peaks of the other 
Black Range, in the vicinity of Stawell. Mount Ararat, standing 
boldly out from the group of granite hills by which it is 
surrounded, presents the appearance of a volcanic cone. Farther 
to the east, Mount Cole, Langi Ghiran, and Ben Nevis, the cul- 
minating points of the Pyrenees, form a conspicuous feature in 
