146 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



— and the palatial, if not very handsome, mansion now occupied 

 by His Excellency the Earl of Hopetoun. What a change has 

 taken place in a comparatively few years ! But I am not going 

 to detain you. Richmond Hill — named after the Richmond in 

 dear old England, but a libel upon the latter as regards its 

 natural beauty — then South Yarra, Hawksburn ; and it is about 

 here that the great change seems to have taken place, it being but 

 a few years since when these districts were but sparsely populated, 

 the whole locality being little better than a series of sandy 

 wastes, of heath grounds and swamps ; and my two dear old friends, 

 the late Count de Castelnau and Dr. Godfrey Howitt — long since 

 called away — have often told me how, when they used to go to 

 South Yarra and Prahran collecting insects, they had to wear 

 long leggings, as these parts were at that time "alive" with snakes. 

 Now, the whole place is densely — in some places too densely — 

 populated ! 



Travelling along, Caulfield is passed, and it being race-day, 

 strings of people are congregated around the enclosure, waiting, 

 I suppose, to obtain a glimpse of the horses which are to 

 compete for the various events. Here another great change is 

 noticeable, the former "grand stand" (composed of hardwood 

 quartering with a shingle roof) having given place to quite an 

 imposing structure, our former excellent collecting grounds in 

 this favoured district for the botanical and entomological collector 

 having been already " improved'"' out of existence. Coming 

 to Glen Huntly, near which a splendid reservoir has been built, 

 we pass through between fresh-looking and extensive market 

 gardens ; and here the almond trees and cherry plums were in 

 full bloom, a truly lovely sight, and very pleasing to one who has 

 seen similar scenes in the old country. Travelling through the 

 very " flower" of the market-gardening districts, along towards 

 Cheltenham, we pass South Brighton, Highett, and then Chel- 

 tenham is reached. A somewhat fossilized little place is Chel- 

 tenham, the newly formed township of Mentone having quite left 

 Cheltenham out in the cold. In passing through Mentone, one. 

 cannot help wondering why those who selected the site for the 

 township should have chosen a flat for the purpose, when the 

 whole place is surrounded by beautiful heights, known in the 

 early days as Balcombe's Paddock. Mentone is, however, a 

 wonderfully lively little township ; and we pass on to Mordialloc, 

 a very " old" place, formerly solely a fishing village. In the 

 early days of Mordialloc there was but one hotel (M'Donald's), 

 and all along in front of the present Rennison's Hotel used 

 to be the so-called " Blacks' Reserve." The Kananook and 

 Mordialloc tribes, having smoked the pipe of peace and agreed 

 to bury the hatchet, used to camp hereabouts and subsist on 

 opossums, snakes, shell-fish, &c, and these, with what they could 



