, . ; 182 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



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Hamilton, on the morrow, but on Mr. Dennant's recommenda- 

 tion determined to go to Muddy Creek instead. 



Thursday morning broke fine, and after a stroll round the 

 town, during which we saw some fine Boobialla trees, Myoponim 

 iTisulare, we got our things together, and started on the five- 

 mile'walk to Muddy Creek. For the benefit of future excur- 

 sionists I may say that you leave Hamilton by the Portland 

 Road, but on reaching the valley of the Grangeburn turn off to 

 the right and cross the stream on a foot-bridge ; vehicles are 

 provided for by a ford. This stream divides the counties of 

 Dundas and Normanby, in the latter of which we now were. 

 As we mounted the hill on the other side, our friend, Mr. J. B. 

 Wilson, passed us in a pair horse buggy, and soon left us 

 behind. The road lay between farms and grazing paddocks, 

 and towards the valley of the Grangeburn afforded several 

 pretty views. Presently the road branched into two at an acute 

 angle, and it was a question which to follow. We had direc- 

 tions to keep straight on, but examination of the ground showed 

 that the buggy had followed the right-hand road, and, thinking 

 Mr. Wilson's driver should know the road, felt inclined to 

 follow. Fortunately, however, as v/e were debating some 

 country people came along, and after a lot of questioning we 

 found the buggy had taken the wrong road, so on we went by 

 the other, and after about three miles more came to the end of 

 the road at Mr. Samuel Mason's estate, " Clifton." As we 

 turned in at his gate Mr. Wilson's buggy was seen coming 

 along the road about half a mile behind us, and soon caught up 

 to us again, when we all had a good laugh. On arrival at the 

 house, Mr. Mason received us very hospitably, and after some 

 slight refreshments took us down to the creek, a few hundred 

 yards away, and gave us permission to dig as much as we 

 liked. Near the creek are some magnificent wattle trees, 

 which were then just bursting into bloom. The creek is a very 

 pretty bit of scenery, being well wooded with blackwoods, 

 wattles, bursarias, tea-trees, and other characteristic shrubs,. 

 altogether forming a delightful place for picnics and no doubt 

 for the entomologist a little later in the year. The creek has, in 

 the course of ages, cut down through the volcanic lava, etc., into 

 the tertiary strata. This has taken so long to do that the banks 

 are now sloped and rounded off into hills and dales, covered 

 with splendid pasture. In fact, this may be considered a portion 

 of the splendid downs for which the Western district is so famous. 

 In the tertiary strata the banks are more abrupt, and vary from ten 

 to twenty feet, exposing in places bluffs of a cream-coloured lime- 

 Stone, generally crowded «ith fossil shells, polyzoa, corallines, etc. 

 Some fine shark's teeth and cetotolites have also been found here. 



