THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 151 
and Alyaia buxzfolia also barred the way, and where the bushes were 
less dense, the deep, fine, loose sand made progress in a hot sun 
difficult. Once through the shore-belt and sand-hummiocks however 
we came out on an open flat, which, extending on one side to the 
river, afforded a good camping ground. 
Here we were charmed by the brilliant racemes of Swacnsonta 
lessertifolia, of deep blue-purple. A humbler congener, Lotus 
australis, was in full flower. If we are to accept recent views of the 
development of color in plants, we should expect to find the mauve 
flowers of the Australian Lotus more dependant upon insect agency 
than the yellow flowers of L. cormeulatus, so abundant in English 
meadows. And the Swainsoniasyyet more entomophilous. But we 
had to hurry on, and could obtain no satisfactory evidence during 
our midday halt. The ground was in places carpeted with a little 
Goodeniaceous plant, Scevola pallida, of a very social habit, and 
bearing delicate pale lilac flowers. 
A granite spur from the main mass of the Promoutory projects 
northward, and parts the sea from the low marsh and pasture lands 
of the winding Derby River. We wound our way along the inland 
flanks of this spur, and commanded thence an excellent view of 
the river flats. Here we disturbed some King Parrots, and listened 
to the marsh birds, thinking of old times in the English Fens, as 
“bittern boomed and coot clanked.” 
Further on we reached the main mass of granite, and by a pass 
over Mount Bishop, again made the sea- shore in one of the Western 
Bays. On our way we gathered late blooms of Correa speciosa, of 
the handsome yariety in which the tube of the corolla has acquired a 
red coloration, the limb remaining green. Bushes of Calycothria 
tetragona, covered some with white, others with pink blooms, made 
the slores gay between the gigantic bosses. 
Mr, Gregory has mentioned our climb of Mt. Oberon. Black 
stumps of Yanthorrhea major, were prominent objects and obstacles 
to fully 1500 feet above the sea. There was, however, no serious 
difficulty in the ascent. We had to skirt the projecting smooth 
masses of granite, which shouldered us off, and managed to pull 
ourselves up in a nearly vertical crack in the face of the most 
awkward. The highest point had to he stormed through a brake of 
tall, closely set saplings, in which [found a nest with young birds, 
and then a climb up bare rocks set us on the summit. ‘Ihe heat of 
the fiercely shining sun was our most serious hindranee in the 
struggle up. Atthe very top grew freely two interesting Myrtaceous 
plants, Awnzea corifolia, and Callistemon -salignus, which also 
occurred at the very tip of the light-house spur. The white Lvid, 
Diplarrhena Morea, appeared generally distributed over the mountain, 
