THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 173 



The rain during the night poured in torrents (the wind on the 

 previous night having blown the tents down), and, as the water 

 was making some inroads under my bed, I had to turn out and 

 dig a trench, my previous experience of life under canvas and 

 under drays during 1853-4, between Melbourne and the 

 ""diggings," having many times been of great use to me. 



As the day broke, I looked at my watch and found that it was 

 5.30, so I turned out, and started for the steep sand-hill which 

 I had visited on the previous evening, and on which I had found 

 the fungus. I got to the top with less difficulty than before, 

 the rain having made the sand more firm and the ascent easier. 

 I was very pleased to find a fine " patch" of the Battarea, the 

 only one seen during my trip, although I scoured the country 

 for miles in every direction. 



These fungi grow in pure sand, some of the specimens, when 

 pulled up, being twenty-two inches in length, but have now 

 shrivelled. It belongs to the puif-ball section of the order, and 

 I should have much liked to have seen it in its earlier stages. 

 The specimens of this and of many others of my p'ants are here 

 this evening for your inspection. 



Gathering up my prizes, I got back to the camp, breakfasted, 

 and started out for the back country, Mr. Scott having kindly 

 sent a man out with me for the first day, so as to enable me to 

 get the position and " lay" of the country to the north-west of 

 the camp. 



We again crossed the big sand-hills and came to a beautiful 

 flat, forming quite an amphitheatre between the hills. I found 

 here some very pretty plants, such as Baecka Behrii, Thrypto- 

 niene ericcea, Anthocercis myosotidea, Adriana tomentosa, and 

 many others, most of which I had only previously seen as 

 herbarium specimens. 



As we ascended sand-hill after sand-hill (some nearly 400 feet 

 high) I found many plants of interest, among them being a very 

 beautiful bright-blue aster, A. Huegeli, Cryptandra tomentosa, 

 and Bertya oleifolia. Huge tufts of the porcupine grass (Triodia 

 irritans) were seen, which, although curious enough, makes loco- 

 motion somewhat unpleasant. 



Ascending a huge sand-hill, we could see, as far as the tele- 

 scope would help us, miles of these singular hillocks of sand, 

 reaching, so I am informed, for over 100 miles, and woe to the 

 unlucky traveller who gets lost here, for there is no water to be 

 had, excepting from a few artificial wells, which would never be 

 found by anyone who was not thoroughly acquainted with the 

 district. 



The whole country about here is covered with a dwarf species 

 of Casuarina, or " she-oak," probably a variety of C. distyia, 

 and on this plant sheep are said to thrive admirably. 



