118 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Melaleuca in flower, and both were submitted to a thoroughly 

 good examination by means of the ever-useful umbrella, but the 

 only beetle of note was the pretty little yellow and blue Longi- 

 corn, Eorinus rtiimula, of which several specimens were secured. 

 Of course we also saw numbers of those too common buprestis 

 beetles, Stigmodera pracidaria and aS*. octosignata, but these, 

 strange to say, were not accompanied, as they nearly always are, 

 by several other species of the same genus. A fortnight later we 

 think this would be a good collecting locality, and would well 

 repay a visit ; the Leptosperraum in flower would then not be 

 quite so plentiful, and there is often more success derivable from 

 examining comparatively isolated small patches of it. Lepidop- 

 tera were also scarce, if we except the smaller moths, as other 

 than these the only ones we observed were Fapilio macleayanus, 

 two specimens ; Epinephile aheona,io\ir specimens ; and Pyrameis 

 kershawi and F. itea ; also two species of Agarista. 



As the excursion was intended especially for Sassafras Gully, 

 which by the way was thought exceedingly beautiful, our time for 

 collecting along the road was limited, and in the gully itself it is 

 almost needless to say that neither umbrella or net were required, 

 most insect life preferring the more open timber or heathy 

 country. 



Flowering plants are generally not numerous, nor in such great 

 variety, in fern gullies as in more open country, and are mostly in 

 bloom later in the season. 



Along the way to the gully, however, a good many presented 

 themselves. Foremost amongst these may mentioned the beautiful 

 Clematis aristata, hanging in graceful festoons from some of the 

 fences and hedges ; the lovely Comesperma ericinum was making 

 its appearance, as well as Erythrcea au^tralis. In contrast with 

 their pink and red flowers might be observed the yellow blossoms 

 of Dillwynia ertcifolia and Pultencea gunnii, while the flowers of 

 Acacia moUissima filled the air with their sweet perfume, but 

 other congeners were already in fruit. Our two common species 

 of Viola were very plentiful, as was also the small euphorbi- 

 aceous plant, Poranthera microphylla ; Hypericum japonicum,^ 

 Stackhousia linarifolia, and Lobelia pratioides were not rare. The 

 tiny Drosera pygmoia was seen in some patches, its larger con- 

 gener, D. auriculata, very abundant. Hydrocotyle laxijlora might 

 be observed in grassy places, H. geranifolia being confined to the 

 gullies. Of orchids, only Diuris maculata, Microtis porrifolia, 

 Caladenia carnea, Thelymitra ixioides, Chiloglottis gunnii, were 

 observed, the latter just coming into flower on the trunks of 

 fern trees. Some of the latter also supported flowering plants of 

 Fieldia australis, as also Zieria smithii ; Hedycarya cunning- 

 hami and Atherosperma moschatum, the Sassafras, were not seen 

 in flower. 



