Physical Features of the Australian Alps. 105 



higher plateaux). The steepest slopes prevail on the southern 

 side of the watershed lines, being frequently precipitous. 

 This peculiarity of the east and west streams seems to me to 

 be in a measure due to the influence of the prevailing 

 southerly winds driving the surface currents of these streams 

 on to their northern banks, and the latter being rocky would 

 cause the streams to gradually wear away towards the north, 

 eating under the rocky cliffs. However, this is merely an 

 opinion, open to objection, as there are so many causes at 

 work by gradual operations, extending over great periods of 

 time, that it would be indeed difficult to form a positive 

 opinion, even as to the proximate causes which led to this 

 peculiar characteristic of these streams. Possibly meteoro- 

 logical conditions during the past may have been more 

 powerful than at present, causing more extensive denudation 

 of the then surface, and eroding the courses of streams in direc- 

 tions which the then existing composition and position of the 

 rocky strata have exercised an important influence in main- 

 taining since that period. Owing to the rapid fall of most 

 of these western affluents they have become eroded down to 

 the bed rock, except in those places where hard bars of 

 gneissose rocks or igneous dykes cross the streams, and by 

 longer resisting the abrading forces of the water have formed 

 above them deep troughs, into which a gravelly wash becomes 

 settled. These deposits are frequently auriferous, and have 

 been worked for gold. 



The southern affluents, the Livingstone Creek and Victoria 

 River, are partly encircled by the Main Dividing Range, the 

 character of the country along their courses being much 

 more open and undulating than the principal tracts of 

 country intersected by the western affluents ; in fact, almost 

 the whole course of the Livingstone and the greater part of 

 the Victoria includes rich pasture lands, more open and 

 gently undulating along the eastern and south-eastern 

 watersheds of these streams — the former comprising the 

 rolling pasture hills stretching from Omeo township towards 

 Tongio Gap, and north-easterly towards the Omeo Plains, and 

 the latter the still more open and gentle grassy slopes of 

 Parslow's Plains. 



The physical conformation of the Divide where it forms 

 the watershed line of these streams is, first, a rather flat 

 expanse of tableland — Paw Paw and Precipice Plains (the 

 south-western edge of these plains being precipitous where 

 the Dargo River valley skirts it) ; it then depresses some- 



