THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 171 



The river having been safely forded the "traps" were carried 

 up the steep bank, when, after having had a very acceptable 

 pannikin of tea from the person in charge of the homestead, 

 we again started for Albacutya. 



The rain now came down in torrents, and, with a strong, 

 biting wind in our faces, driving was not the most pleasurable 

 of occupations, and we were glad when we reached the mail- 

 man's house, where we had an excellent luncheon. Our road 

 lay to the left of Lake Hindmarsh, which was, by reason of 

 the mist, but very indistinctly seen. 



The lake itself is a magnificent sheet of water, the area 

 being about 30,000 acres. It has a sandy beach, on which 

 grows a belt, in some places nearly 100 yards wide, of red gum 

 {^Eucalyptus roslrata) ; some of which had, I noticed, been cut 

 down for various purposes. 



As the Baron had desired me not to collect on this side of 

 the lake — he having in 1853 been there himself — I took but 

 little notice of the plants which were growing in the vicinity. 



As it was now getting late in the day, we pushed along at a 

 good speed, passing through dense mallee scrubs, deep sand, 

 and box flats. No sand-hills were seen on the way up. 



We were by this time getting within an easy distance of the 

 station, and before coming to the rabbit and dog-proof fence 

 we were hailed by a most remarkable-looking old man, who 

 emerged from some scrub, and whose face and hands were 

 besmeared with blood, whilst in his belt he carried a huge and 

 most sanguinary-looking knife, and altogether he was not the 

 kind of person whom one would like to meet in the dark. I 

 afterwards learned that he was an inoffensive rabbit-trapper, 

 who lives alone in these solitudes. 



The dog and rabbit-proof fence extends, I am informed, from 

 near Swan Hill to the Adelaide border, a distance of 226 miles, 

 enclosing an area of 8,000,000 acres, the cost of erection being 

 about £98 per mile. It is said to be a great success. 



It was now nearly dark, and, as the moon had not yet made 

 its appearance, it was no easy matter dodging (with a pair of 

 horses) the prostrate Murray pines, etc., amongst which the 

 effects of the late storm here also worked great havoc.- The 

 slip-panel of the horse paddock was now announced, and in a 

 very short time we heard the barking of the dogs, and the lights 

 from the men's huts were plainly visible. 



Having alighted from the buggy I was met by Mr. Percy 

 Scott, and, having washed and made myself somewhat present- 

 able, I was introduced to Mr. and Mrs. Scott and their family. 

 I was most kindly received, and I take this opportunity of 

 publicly thanking them, one and all, for their kindness and 

 attention, without which my mission to the north-west would have 

 been an undoubted failure, instead of, at least, a partial success. 



