$8 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 
We passed through a variety of habitats each with its appropriate 
Flora and Fauna. From Trafalgar to Foster we were in the Forest 
Ranges ; from Foster to Yanakie, and again from Yanakie to the 
Powlett River, we traversed heaths, scrubs, and swampy plains; the 
Promontory consists of rugged granite uplands; between Tobin 
Alloc and Tooradin we skirted the Koo-wee-rup Swamp ; and the 
rest of our journey was through lightly timbered undulating country 
of very moderate elevation. 
In the Forests tree-ferns filled every gully, and added a charm to 
every prospect. The mighty Eucalypts with their white trunks 
towered all around us. Ever and anon as we wound along our ridge 
track we skirted the head of some valley, which widening out below 
gave us a view of the timbered heights around and beyond. In the 
deeper gullies the creeping and climbing ferns formed green bowers 
of tropical luxuriance without tropical discomfort, as cool as they 
were lovely. It seemed a desecration to cut the fronds of the tree- 
ferns in sheaves for our beds, but nature had provided enough and 
tospare. We founda pretty creeper around the fern-trunks, Fieldia 
australis, the only Victorian representative of the Gesneracew. It 
was in fruit. The berries are as large as a cherry, pure white, and 
with the rows of seeds visible beneath the epicarp. Mr. Robinson 
called our attention to Sarcochilus parviflorus, a pretty and fragrant 
epiphytic Orchid, which was in full flower. The plants were climb- 
ing about dead twigs of probably the Musk Aster. The latter was 
as usual abundant, and tilled the forest paths with a pleasant and 
not overpowering aroma. Convolvulus marginatus and Billardiera 
longiflora, the white corolla of the former tinted with purple, and the 
lemon-coloured flower-bell of the latter tipped with violet wedges, 
were also in bloom. Both purple and white varieties of Solanum 
aviculare were abundant. Pittosporwm undulatum was in fruit ; we 
only came across one shrub, but it was with much pleasure that we 
saw this familiar garden shrub for the first time in its native haunts. 
The paths we have mentioned between Mirboo and Foster as being 
nearly knee-deep in mud were clad in places with green garments, 
consisting chiefly of Polygonum Hydropiper and Isolepis setacea. 
These were interesting, as being British species they recalled wet 
woodland paths in the Old Country. At first also they deceived us, 
for the green track in the distance seemed to promise firm ground ; 
bat soon we grew to lament the too green vista as we waded some- 
what wearily on. 
Of animals we did not see many in this Forest land. An 
injudicious Brown Snake crossed our path between the van and rear- 
guard, and was scotched, and then killed. Towards evening the 
little brown wallabies startled sprang to right or left into the depths 
of the woods as we passed. The bears up aloft called our attention 
by their grunting. Braces of black cockatoo cried to one another, 
