28 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The level land is thickly timbered with Eucalyptus amygdaJina,. 

 E. vimin7lis (mountain variety), and is probably flooded at times. 

 No plants of very special interest were noted, a very slender 

 variety of Veronica gracilis being the prettiest and most abundant. 

 The slopes were gay with the purple flowers of Vittadinia aus- 

 tralis. In the evening we changed the papers in the press,, 

 skinned our birds, and experienced the full horrors of the 

 changing-bag, called even by its author the " torture chamber." 



27TH December. — We were up about 4 o'clock — indeed, our 

 leader was up a good deal earlier. Our horses were getting used 

 to the hobbles, and the two big riding horses showed that they 

 meant to lead the others into mischief. Mr. Howitt was up 

 between i and 2 o'clock and brought them back to camp ; and 

 yet when he rose at 3 they were nowhere to be seen. He and 

 Alfred accordingly set out in quest, while the others got break- 

 fast ready, &c. The five were found at no very great distance, 

 but the two ringleaders had left the home track, and made up a 

 spur several miles. Fortunately Mr. Howitt had all knowledge of 

 horses and their ways in the mountains at his fingers' ends, and 

 presently he heard the faint, far-off" tinkle of the bells, and the runa- 

 ways were ridden back without much mercy. This was our last 

 camp before reaching the lake, distant about eight miles, and the 

 worst part of our journey lay before us. In view of this we 

 packed up all the luggage and provisions which we were not 

 likely to want, and made a cache of it on the top of a tall stump, 

 out of the way of the dingoes, so as to lighten the loads of the 

 packers as much as we could. Our camp was on the left bank 

 of the river, and, after crossing it once more, and for the last time 

 on our upward march, we made for a great spur of Mount 

 Welhngton, up which we struck. The spur was very steep in 

 places, terribly long, and tolerably thickly timbered, and we had 

 to proceed gently and rest the horses frequently. 



The under scrub consisted of Cassinia aculeata and Daviesia 

 buxifolia chiefly, and we noticed a few herbaceous plants, such as 

 Drymophila cyanocarpa, the orchids Dipoditmi and Gastrodia, 

 Lobelias, Pimeleas, &c. At last we reached the top, and were 

 indeed rewarded for our climb. Turning a little to the right 

 we found ourselves standing on the brim of a gigantic basin. 

 Immediately opposite to us on the east side rose the main mass 

 of Mount Wellington, towering in lonely grandeur above the 

 surrounding hills, while far below in the hollow of the basin lay 

 the little lake, known to the aborigines as Tali Kango Nigo- 

 thoruka (the little lake on Wellington or Nigothoruk). It looked 

 very small from where we stood, surrounded on all sides but one 

 by precipitous and thickly wooded slopes. It really occupies an 

 area of about 22 acres, but one end of it lay to our right, and was 

 hidden by the trees on the mountain side below us. At this end 



