THK VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 17 



senior member is gracefully reclining after the Turkish fashion. 

 He arises hastily, so does the rest of the camp, and in two 

 minutes the beast is safely bagged (alive). Again we sit down, 

 and in less than ten minutes comes another stampede. This 

 time it is a large tiger snake, which makes for just the same spot, 

 but only to find, almost before he has time to realize his position, 

 that his head is transferred to alcohol. 



Leaving camp about eight o'clock we still travel northwards by 

 the river side, along the valley, and then climb a ridge. The 

 scrub is very thick, containing many cotton trees. The principal 

 gum is the white one, but at times we come across blue-gum and 

 now and then small blackwoods : in the whole district there 

 are but few of these, and none of any large size. We are now 

 and have been since a short distance before the last camp was 

 reached, walking over granite, and large boulders of this lie in 

 the beds of the small creeks descending from the hillside. The 

 track gradually descends through burnt country, from the ridge 

 to the Erinundra, and we halt for two or three hours by the side 

 of a beautiful creek, the bed of which is made of large moss-grown 

 granite masses. After lunch we spend some time searching along 

 the creek, where the growth of ferns is very thick and fallen logs 

 numberless. Every now and then we come across a lyre-bird 

 showing his tail, and hear plenty of others in the scrub all 

 around. A snake or two dive into the stream, but there is nothing 

 of special interest beyond the usual gully vegetation and any 

 number of bulldog ants and leeches. We had been warned 

 before going that we should be plagued with any number of large 

 and genuine Ticks ; but all that we can say, from our own experi- 

 ence of Croajingolong is, that they are chiefly remarkable for their 

 absence. We only saw one all the time, and that attacked one 

 member of our party at the Lakes' Entrance, whilst we were yet 

 on the verge of civilization. 



By the side of the Erinundra the land is rich, and, after leaving 

 our halting place, we pass some fine white-gums. The vegetation 

 along the track is very thick, principally, as usual, Acacias, 

 Persoonias, Goodias, young gums, with, on the ridge, Comesperma 

 ericinu??t, the flower of which we are soon to lose sight of Sword- 

 grass and the climbing grass (Erharta juncea) make us willing to 

 keep to the track, where, though much overgrown along the 

 valley, we can get along without entire loss of clothes and flesh. 

 As we pass onwards the valley gets more and more hemmed in 

 by hills, which increase in height, and becomes proportionately 

 narrower ; the river cannot be seen for the growth of the Lilypilli, 

 Eleeocarpus, Tristania, Pittosporum, and here and there blackwood, 

 which overhang it. The track leads up a steep hillside, and as 

 we descend the other side, looking down upon the valley beneath, 

 we can just, in the distance, catch a glimpse of falling waters 



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