12 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



just above its junction with the Macallister, northwards for a 

 distance of about eight miles, where it drops into the Macallister 

 valley. About midway between the two extremities of this 

 valley the Glencairn homestead is situated. Here, and for some 

 three miles or more to the north, the valley is broad and open, 

 being probably nearly a mile wide. It is wooded and park-like 

 for the most part, and is practically a dry valley ; only a small, 

 insignificant channel exists here. Most of the winter rains from 

 the slopes on either side evidently spread out as a sheet over the 

 grassy and even bed of the valley before they finally gather into 

 a defined channel further down the valley. 



This old valley appears here to be deeply filled with hill wash, 

 which has rounded off its outline. At Glencairn there is a fertile 

 patch under cultivation of some 80 acres or more. It consists of 

 fine black soil, some feet in depth, resting on a reddish clay of 

 undetermined depth. The waters from a tributary gully cross it, 

 and since the breaking of the surface a channel over 20 feet deep 

 has been cut through the deposit. About three miles north of 

 Glencairn the bed of the valley is not much below the top of the 

 narrow ridge which separates it on the east from the deeper 

 MacaUister valley, 600 ft. below on the opposite side. Almost 

 imperceptibly the direction of drainage changes from south to 

 north, and then rapidly falls by a narrow-cut valley to join the 

 Macallister through a gap in the dividing ridge. Just below 

 Glencairn on the southerly slope the valley narrows and deepens 

 and falls by a steep grade through a rocky bed to the Barkly. 

 It seems probable that a branch of the Macallister formerly 

 flowed down this valley, and that the dividing spur has been 

 destroyed at the present northern outlet and the waters diverted 

 into the present main stream. 



The " Crinoline." — This mountain forms a prominent feature 

 in almost every view from the ranges of this area. It is the 

 nearest and most accessible mountain of any importance to be 

 seen from Glencairn, being about five miles to the east of the 

 homestead. Its almost bare rocky top, girdled with horizontal 

 rock ledges, shows clearly in the eastern sky line above the 

 nearer ridges which hide the Macallister valley along tlie 

 western base of the mountain. It was decided, as the third 

 member of the party had not yet arrived, to ascend to the top of 

 the mountain to obtain a good survey of the surrounding district. 

 Accordingly we got directions from Mr. Sweetapple, of Glen- 

 cairn, who willingly pointed out the best spur by which the 

 ascent could be made. From the sharp ridge to the east of 

 Glencairn a fine view of the western face of the mountain was 

 obtained. Some hundreds of feet below lay the narrow bed of 

 the Macallister, its clear waters only visible in a few places through 

 the vegetation which lines its banks. On the eastern side steep 



