THE 



YoL. VI.— Nos. 1-2. MAY -JUNE, 1889. No. 65. /,(, 



TRIP TO CROAJINGOLONG. 

 By Professor Baldwin Spencer and C. French, F.L.S. 

 The trip of which the following is an account was first proposed 

 to the Club by Baron von Mueller, who was anxious that advan- 

 tage should be taken of the tracks now being cut through the 

 district of Croajingolong. To him the Club is indebted for the 

 kindly interest he has taken in the work, and for the naming of 

 the rarer forms of plants brought back.* It may be mentioned 

 that considerable difficulty was experienced in the trip, owing to 

 the extent of ground which had to be covered in a comparatively 

 short time, and to the fact that the great scarcity of food for 

 horses rendered long marches frequently imperative ; also, over 

 a considerable portion of the country recent bush fires have com- 

 pletely destroyed its vegetation. This was especially the case in M 

 the district round about Bonang, where otherwise the flora would # 

 probably have been most interesting. ^ 

 The party which started on 28th December for Croajingolong M 

 was but a small one when compared with the large number of W 

 field naturalists who mustered on the deck of the Zady Loch ^ 

 last year bound for King Island. We only numbered five in all W. 

 — Messrs. French, Frost, Jackson, Searle, and Spencer. Through %. 

 the courtesy of Mr. Prevot, the station-master at Prince's Bridge, 

 we were relieved of all trouble with regard to extra luggage. 

 Two members of the club, bound for Morwell, accompanied 

 us as far as that ; and, after a hot journey, we reached Sale at 

 I p.m. Sale may be described as small, sleepy, and respectable^ 

 and we were by no means sorry when the coach put some 

 distance between us and the township. ^The road leads along by 

 the River Thompson, bordering upon which are rich alluvial flats, 

 clear of water now, but doubtless deeply flooded in rainy seasons. 

 The coach deposits its load, and the waggon its luggage, at a 

 bridge built over the Latrobe River, close to the junction of this 

 with the Thompson. We have just time to get on board the 

 Dargo, and safely stow our luggage away, when the little steamer 

 starts, and we are off at a good rate down the Latrobe. Ten 

 miles of river have to be passed along before the " Lakes " are 



* The authors are much indebted for assistance to Messrs. Frost and Searle: 

 to the former for information with respect especially to birds, and to the lattev 

 for measurements of heights and distances. 



