82 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



much more plentiful, and in better flower ; but, all the same, we 

 were not very successful in our efforts to secure specimens, 

 indeed the first had, so far, been the only day on which we had 

 been at all fortunate. Although we had every desire to do a 

 long walk, the weather was too much for us, and after going some 

 three or four miles, we felt inclined for a rest, and were about to 

 take our seats on a fallen tree, when we were apprised that we 

 had a competitor in the shape of a tiger-snake, whose title we 

 successfully disputed by quickly dispatching him. This was one 

 of the only three snakes we saw in our walks, and they were all 

 of the same species, and all small. Indeed, from the information 

 we desired, it appears that most of the snakes seen or killed in 

 the district are small, which information rather surprised us — 

 firstly, as the abundant shelter should have enabled them to 

 attain a larger size ; and, secondly, country information regarding 

 snakes is generally of a nature calculated to induce a belief in 

 visitors that the district they may be in possesses larger and 

 more dangerous snakes than any other, consequently we imbibe a 

 profound belief in the exceeding modesty of the North 

 Mirbooites. Being thoroughly tired, and discouraged with our 

 small success, we returned to the township and spent the 

 remainder of the afternoon in the verandah of our hotel, con- 

 versing with those who had time at their disposal. 



On all the saplings around Mirboo there were hundreds of the 

 beautiful caterpillar of the large Emperor moth, and these would, 

 of course, in a few weeks after our visit develop into the perfect 

 insect, of which numbers would be then obtainable. One of 

 these moths was brought to us, carefully wrapped in several folds 

 of paper, not so much to preserve the insect as to protect the 

 possessor from its supposed bite. It is strange that, whereas 

 most country people are comparatively indifferent to and careless 

 of snakes, they appear to have a real fear of insects ; and our 

 company were quite surprised at the free way in which we 

 handled the above specimen and placed it in a small bottle 

 which one of them had brought for the purpose, he being 

 desirous of taking it away with him to another portion of this 

 colony where he resided, and where, so he said, no such caterpillars 

 had been seen. At Leongatha, about twenty miles distant, we 

 were informed there was a plague of caterpillars, so great a 

 plague, indeed, that one settler had lost almost every blade of 

 grass by them, and was, in consequence, obliged to dispose of 

 most of his stock ; but, like many another country story, this was 

 probably considerably embellished. No doubt, however, there 

 were plenty of the caterpillars, but what they were we could not 

 learn, except that they were of a greyish colour and travelled very 

 fast. 



{To be continued,) 



