140 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



from Walhalla to Toombon is over some of the wildest scenery in 

 Victoria. The ascending path from Stringer's Creek winds along 

 the side of the hills, now passing round the bleak and open spur 

 and anon diving into the intervening gullies, but everywhere 

 bordered with lovely shrubs which have sprung up to cover the 

 ravages made by the ruthless woodcutter. Acacias grow in great 

 profusion, and of many species, on these sidelings. They belong to 

 the same order of plants as the pea and bean ; though the blossom 

 is not the same shape as that known as the pea-flower, still the 

 fruit is just alike — along, green pod with seeds inside. These 

 acacias differ greatly in appearance — one species, A. linearis, has 

 long, thin leaves just like grass, only stiffer and more brittle. Its 

 peculiar mode of growth makes it quite a feature in the landscape, 

 for the long phyllodes, as the leaves are termed, grow in massive 

 tufts all over the shrub, and in spring when the round, yellow 

 flowers are in bloom its perfume and appearance are alike agree- 

 able to the senses. The common silver wattle, blackwood, and 

 golden wattle are familiar examples of acacias. The phyllodes 

 borne by most wattles are very different from the leaves of other 

 shrubs. Take one and hold it up between your eyes and the 

 light, and you may perceive that the veins run parallel to each 

 other, the long way of the leaf Now examine one from another 

 bush. The veins forms a network, branching out from a central 

 midrib. The fact is that the green appendages of the golden 

 wattle and blackwood are not true leaves, but merely flattened out 

 stems, which perform the same functions. Very often true leaves 

 may be seen growing from the end of the phyllodes of the young 

 blackwood. A fine view may be obtained from portions of the 

 sideling we are traversing, the whole basin of Stringer's Creek 

 lying directly below the eye, with the township nestling in the 

 bottom of the valley. Most of the houses are built on sites 

 excavated out of the side of the hill. The abruptness of the rise 

 may be exemplified by what is known as the " Walhalla cow 

 story," which is literally true. It happened many years since. A 

 well-known Melbourne solicitor lived in Walhalla at the time. He 

 resided in one of the small, wooden buildings common in our town- 

 ship. This cottage was built under a very steep part of the hill. 

 While quietly engaged with a client in a front room they were 

 suddenly startled nearly out of their senses by a tremendous crash 

 of woodwork at the back of the premises. Rushing out of the 

 front door and around the house to ascertain the cause, they could 

 at first see nothing unusual. The lawyer gazed about in astonish- 

 ment, and, taking off his hat, he scratched his head, exclaiming — 

 " Begorra, I thought I heard something." " Thought you heard 

 something," sarcastically returned his companion ; " look here." 

 He accordingly looked through the window of a servant's bed- 

 room and beheld, lying amongst a confused heap of shingles, 



