PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO NORTH-WEST OF VICTORIA. 455 
No. 3—NOTES ON THE PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO 
THE NORTH-WEST PORTION OF THE COLONY 
OF VICTORIA. 
By Sr. Exroy D’Atron. 
(Read Tuesday, January 11, 1898.) 
[ Abstract. | 
Tue district to which this paper refers lies between the river 
Wimmera and the South Australian Border, in the extreme north- 
west corner of the colony, indicated on the map as the counties 
of Lowan and Weeah. With the exception of the river Wim- 
mera, this territory is totally devoid of anything like a river-bed 
or water-course, with perhaps one or two exceptions, where com- 
paratively short streams, flowing only in very wet winters for a 
few months, empty themselves either into run-away holes, or 
shallow depressions, which for a time may be regarded as swamps, 
but which for several years in succession might have been dry 
enough as to be put under cultivation. The river Wimmera is of 
the usual typical Australian sort—a chain of water-holes. In 
wet winters, when these holes are full, the water flows into Lake 
Hindmarsh ; from thence the course of the creek may be traced 
to Lake Albacutya, Wonga Lake, Pine Plains, and some miles to 
the north of Pine Plains, where it loses itself amongst the sand- 
hills of that region, which forms a belt before reaching the river 
Murray, from the south. The district referred to is traversed 
from east to west with belts of fertile, undulating country, 
separated by strips of poor, sandy scrub, or thick mallee, varying 
in width from 12 to 60 miles, the line of demarkation between the 
good and the bad land being sharply defined. In the south-east 
corner of the district Mount Arapiles rises, a conspicuous object, 
abruptly out of the plain, toa height of about 1,060 feet, its 
eastern side presenting a bold escarpment of red sandstone, 
several hundred feet high. Standing about half a mile away is 
a rock, which from its shape is called the Mitre rock. The summit 
of this rock cannot be reached on account of its precipitous 
nature, and in its clefts and crannies grow several species of 
plants, which will be alluded to further on. The mount can be 
ascended in many places, particularly from the west side, where 
there is a deep gorge through which in wet seasons a small 
stream trickles. In the precipitous eastern face of the mount 
are two or three very steep, rocky clefts or gorges, and it is in 
- such places that the rarest plants are to be found. This is the 
