CHAPTER VII. 



Remainder of Our Stay in Victoria A Brush with the Larikins Melbourne, 

 its Parks, Library, Climate, Social Life Collecting Insects, Diamond 

 Beetles, Ants Driven Home by Flies Good-by to Victoria. 



WE left for Melbourne August 27, and from there 

 went to Stowell, Hamilton, and Clunes, gold-mining 

 towns, where father delivered several courses of lec- 

 tures. At Climes we had a new experience. Sometimes, 

 to insure a good house, we gave away a number of 

 complimentary tickets to first lecture ; so one evening 

 the " Larikins " (hoodlums), in hopes of getting in, 

 collected in large numbers about the hall door. One 

 or two of them came up, and asked for admission, 

 which I refused, whereupon, gathering in the hall-way, 

 they began to make remarks on our entertainment in 

 general, and myself in particular. 



I paid no attention to them, till one, larger than the 

 rest, demanded whether or not I intended to let them 

 in. I coolly informed him that I had no such intention 

 whatever, whereupon he left, saying ominously, " Then 

 you must take the consequences." No sooner had he 

 departed than an egg smashed against the door at which 

 I was standing, and a roar of laughter followed from 

 the crowd. 



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