174 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Mr. Dunn mentions the occurrence of agates and jaspers, and 

 such-like rocks in the recent alluvial deposits in the Wooragee 

 valley, near Beechworth, and states that they are derived from 

 the denudation of a similar glacial deposit. In the valley of the 

 Gellibrand, in many places, according to the " Progress Report 

 of the Geological Survey," fragments of granite and other older 

 rocks occur, and I had a beautiful specimen of schorl rock sent 

 me from there a few years ago, to examine for tin. About two 

 miles east of the river mouth there is a beach known as Pebbly 

 Point, on which pebbles of opal, jasper, lydianite quartz, and 

 various porphyritic rocks occur, though I have not seen any 

 granite. I have not seen the bed from vvhich these rocks are 

 derived, and I do not think it is exposed there at present. I 

 regret that I cannot refer to the progress report here, but I do 

 not think it mentions any glacial beds as underlying the coal 

 measures of the district. It is possible, I think, from the slight 

 evidence I have brought forward, that such is the case, and, if so, 

 this would be the most southerly recorded occurrence of such a 

 glacial deposit in Victoria. 



A CORRESPONDENT has forwarded the following extracts of 

 letters received from Mr. E. M. Cornwall, Townsville, Northern 

 Queensland, with regard to a certain peculiar trait in the 

 character of the Bower Bird {Chlamydodera orientalis^ Gould) : — 

 " I think I have discovered a new trait in the character of the 

 Great Bower Bird. They are very plentiful about Roseneath 

 Garden, and are very destructive to the various crops — chillies, 

 paw-paws, granadillas, guavas, mangoes, green peas, &c. — in fact, 

 every description of fruit suffers to a greater or less extent from 

 their depredations. But their last object of attack proves them 

 to be not entirely ("vegetarians, unless new-laid eggs are^'to be 

 called vegetables. This is not mere supposition, but hard fact, 

 for after noticing the disappearance of eggs in a most unaccount- 

 able manner for some time, the gardener kept watch, and was 

 rewarded by seeing Mr. Bower Bird fly straight to a nest just 

 vacated by a hen and deliberately pick the egg and polish off its 

 contents." " In ie the Great Bovver Bird.— Since writing you 

 last, I have had still further evidence to convict this rogue of 

 what I charged him with. A bird was seen to fly right to a hen's 

 nest in an empty shed and immediately emerge with an egg in 

 his long claws ; but the egg proved an awkward burden, and he 

 dropped it ere he had gone many yards." 



