THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



38 



to be accounted for by the density of the scrub, into which, 

 in most parts, it was simply useless to penetrate, as progress 

 would be, perhaps, at the rate of a few yards per minute. At 

 night packs of. dingoes were to be heard howling in the 

 distance, but none came close to the camp. Various forms of 

 lizards were captured, the large lace lizard being abundant. 

 Snakes were to be found in plenty, the copperhead {Hoplo- 

 cephalus superhus) being the most frequent. The tiger snake 

 [H. curtus) was captured, and also the black snake {Pseudechis 

 porphyriacus). 



The insects collected were very numerous, but a list of them 

 cannot as yet be given. Perhaps as far as insect life is concerned 

 the most noticeable feature is the vast number of ant-hills in 

 every part. Over large areas the mounds of the "jumper" ants 

 are so thick as to call to mind the " mole-hills " at home. A 

 hard search was made for Perijmtics, but though this has recently 

 been found for the second time in Victoria, and the locality was 

 an eminently likely one, the search was unsuccessful. Amongst 

 molluscs, a species of Bulimus is abundant in certain parts, and 

 various forms of chsetopod and planarian worms were found : 

 amongst the former, the largest — a perichsete worm — measures 

 6 in. to 8 in. in length and | in. in diameter. Of birds, the following 

 list (kindly supplied to us by Mr. C. Frost) gives the names of 

 those noted. The density of the scrub again interfered very much 

 with the procuring of specimens of birds as of mammals : — 



Astur novse-hollandiae 

 Alcyone azurea 

 Artamus sordidus 

 Pardalotus quadragintus 

 Strepera graculina 

 Gymnorhina leuconota 



,, tibicen 



Grallina picata 

 Graculus melanops 

 Collyriocincla harmonica 

 Falcunculus frontalis 

 Rhipidura albescalba 



„ rufifrons 

 Gerygone fusca 

 Petrceca multicolor 

 „ phoenicea 

 Dymodes brunneopygia 

 Eopsaltria australis 

 Menura victorise 

 Psophodes crepitans 

 Malurus cyaneus 



Malurus longicaudus 

 Stipiturus malachurus 

 Hylacola pyrrhopygia 

 Sericornis frontalis 

 Acanthiza pusilla 

 Dacelo gigas 

 Ninox boobook 

 Anthus australis 

 Cincloranthus rufescens 

 Estrelda bella 



„ temporahs 

 Ptilonorhynchus holosericeus 

 Meliornis novae-hollandite 

 Anthochoera carunculata 

 Philemon corniculatus 

 Melithreptus gularis 

 Acanthorhyncus tenuirostris 

 Manorhina melanophrys 

 Zosterops coerulescens 

 Climacteris scandens 

 Cacomantis flabelliformis 



