86 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Butter Company, where some hundreds of empty butter boxes are 

 unloaded. The factory is one of the largest, perhaps, in Australia, 

 and the shipping companies undertake to carry back free of charge 

 one new empty for every full butter box conveyed as cargo. The 

 Lismore wharf is in the heart of the town, and being Sunday 

 morning all was quiet as we proceeded to our berth. Exactly 

 24 hours had been occupied in traversing the distance of 70 miles 

 from the mouth of the river. 



Lismore is apparently a thriving town, prettily situated on 

 undulating ground between the hills and the river. The newer 

 portion has spread across the stream, and a railway has recently 

 been opened to Byron Bay towards the Tweed River, a distance 

 of some 40 miles. I expected to be met at Lismore by my friend 

 Mr. W. T. Bailey, but there was no appearance of him, so the 

 next morning, after making inquiries, I was directed to his place 

 at Cowlong, about 10 miles distant, and set out on foot. It was 

 a lovely morning. I took the main road to Ballina, which after 

 leaving Lismore rises abruptly on to the crest of the hills, and 

 thence for a considerable distance runs along the series of ridges 

 forming the eastern watershed of Wilson's Creek. The outlook 

 is really beautiful, and on a clear morning the Macpherson 

 Range, terminating in Mount Danger, is distinctly visible beyond 

 the undulating hills which intervene, while in the foreground is 

 occasionally caught the gleam from the water of the river below. 

 The road leads past splendid maize crops, while patches of arrow- 

 root and bananas are seen around every habitation. The timber 

 is still eucalyptus, with very little undergrowth. It is surprising 

 to see what a hold the imported plant Lantana has got ; by the 

 roadside in places it is a compact barrier, and where it has been 

 allowed a free hand the growth is well nigh impenetrable. When 

 I had traversed about five miles I caught sight of a patch of 

 darker green vegetation ahead, which proved to be another out- 

 lying clump of " Big Scrub," for after passing through it the road 

 was again in forest country. It is remarkable to see how abruptly 

 the two classes of vegetation meet. But I notice that the under- 

 growth is becoming denser and taller, and the myrtle tree is now 

 seen among it. The gum trees also are finer and more vigorous 

 looking, for they are now growing in the rich red soil which makes 

 the " Big Scrub " territory so luxuriant. Before reaching Mr. 

 Bailey's place I had passed from the gum tree, or forest country, 

 as it is called, into the " Big Scrub " proper. Cowlong appears to 

 be out of touch to a certain extent with civilization, for a telegram 

 I had despatched from Sydney six days previously had not arrived. 

 It came by post the following Wednesday. After bringing my 

 baggage out from Lismore, I was comfortably installed through 

 the generous hospitality of a neighbour, Mr. J. M'Lean. 



The next day I was exploring the scrub, where I found things 



