122 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



of the columns are seen jutting out from the cliff face, which 

 appears as though covered with tiles. But space forbids a discus- 

 sion of many other interesting points which were noticed during 

 our excursion. 



Several members devoted themselves more or less to botany, 

 and Mr. C French, jun., who acted as botanical leader, reports 

 that fully fifty species of plants were noticed in flower, of 

 which the most interesting collected were Zygophyllum bil- 

 lardieri, Dodoncea viscosa, Euxtaxia empetrifolia, Cassia eremo- 

 phila, Acacia acinacea, Galycothrix tetragona, Eucalyptus 

 melliodora, Helipterum anthemoides, Nicotiana suaveolens, and 

 Myoporum deserti. The ferns Cheilanthes tenuifolia and Gram- 

 mitis rutifolia were also noticed growing in the insterstices 

 of the basaltic columns and among the rocks. 



T. S. Hall. 



A TRIP TO THE RICHMOND RIVER DISTRICT. 



By A. Campbell, jun. 



Part II. — Butterflies and Birds. 



The tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world are famed for 

 the glory of colouring and the luxuriance of their insect and bird 

 life. The " Big Scrub " is no exception. Of insects we find the 

 butterflies the most attractive, while some of the birds are of 

 wonderful plumage, and several families, besides numerous in- 

 dividual species, are not known in the more temperate zones. 

 Butterflies are seen in myriads on a bright day, with gay colouring 

 and quick flight searching in and out among the blossoms. The 

 well-known family of Papilio is perhaps the best represented as 

 far as numbers go ; but the Richmond River district can claim a 

 species peculiar to itself, Ornithoptera richmondia, which is a large 

 insect, measuring from 43/3 inches across. The male is very 

 beautiful, with its broad markings of brilliant green and velvety- 

 black, set off with a yellow abdomen, while the female, which is 

 much the larger, is a sooty black, with whitish patches on the fore 

 wing and dull gold and silver on the hinder. The genus is named 

 from its heavy flight, which is supposed to resemble that of a bird. 

 The female is quite a common object during the early summer 

 months, pursuing its solitary way over the fields or feeding, with 

 hundreds of other smaller butterflies, on some flowering scrub 

 tree ; but the male does not usually put in an appearance until 

 late in December, when an exceptionally hot day will free them 

 all from their chrysalids, hanging suspended among the creepers 

 or in the branches of the trees, and on the morrow their dazzling 

 green and black forms are seen everywhere. This is the con- 

 clusion I came to from my own experience, for on New Year's 

 Day there was a lull in the rains and the day dawned fair ; 



