118 



South Wales for Blackwood of commercial sizes. From thence it can be 

 obtained all along the coast range right down to the southern boundary, 

 where, as has been already stated, it attains its greatest luxuriance in the 

 fcrush country, in common with Sassafras, Musk, and other well-known 

 plants. On the mountains east of Bombala, JSTimitybelle, and Cooma, but 

 yet on the high tableland, there is a belt of forest fringing the Monaro 

 Plains. This forest, where it is intersected by its numerous creeks, valleys, 

 and gullies, should furnish a plentiful supply of Blackwood. It has been 

 hut imperfectly prospected for that valuable timber, yet plenty of trees 

 2 feet or more in diameter have been seen with trunks furnishing logs from 

 20 to 40 feet in length. This is a favourable locality, since carriers go from 

 thence to the Cooma railway station on the west side, and-to the seaports of 

 Merimbula and Twofold Bay on the other. The eastern mountain slopes 

 near Candelo, Colombo, Bega, Cobargo, Tilba Tilba (Dromedary), and 

 Moruya, contain also a large supply of this timber. 



For the sake of clearness it may be stated that the Blackwood is abundant 

 on the tableland, and on the edges and slopes of the tableland in such 

 southern localities as far north as Barrengarry Mountain and the Kangaroo 

 Valley generally, Cambewarra Mountain, the Berry Mountain, Robertson, 

 and the Macquarie Pass. What its most northerly locality is south of 

 Sydney I do not know, but as the species approaches Sydney it generally 

 diminishes in size. 



North of Port Jackson I have it from Gentleman's Halt, Hawkesburj' 

 Piver (A. Murphy). 



The Mudgerabah as a Shelter Tree. — The traveller in ISTew England 

 cannot fail to notice a symmetrical, umbrag^eous tree, usually some 40 or 50 

 feet in height, with a trunk diameter of 3 or 3 feet, and with a great spread 

 of leafy branches. It has a rough bark, and its leaves remind some country 

 people of " some sort of gum-tree." When in flower or seed it will he 

 noticed to be a wattle. It is found a few niiles from the coast, at an eleva- 

 tion of about 2,.500 feet above sea-level, and, I noticed it all over the New 

 England country, even at Guy Fawkes, the summit of the Snowy Range, 

 and the highest point of ISTew England. The climate here is very severe, 

 yet the trees of this Acacia are magnificent specimens, showing how hardy 

 it is. It is "everywhere called Mudgerabah, and it is about the only tree that 

 pastoralists do not ringbark, as it gives a grateful shelter to the stock during 

 the summer, while, in those districts where frosts occur, the cattle are 

 found under it during the coldest nights, as the frost cannot penetrate the 

 dense foliage. From the assthetie point of view, it is desirable that these 

 trees should be conserved, for they are charming objects in the landscape, 

 many of them being nearly as symmetrical as it is possible for a tree to be. 

 This tree is none other than the Blackwood. From the point of view of the 

 timber-getter, the trunks of the Mudgerabah are usually too short; but if it 

 be necessary to fell one, the timber deserves a better fate than to be utilised 

 as fuel. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE 57. 



A. Flowering branch. 



B. An individual bud removed from n head of flowers. 



0. Individual e.xpanded flower, showing — (o) 8opal, (&) Petal, 

 (f-) Stamens. 



D. Portion of flower, opened out — (fl) Sepal, (&) Petal, (c) 



Stamens, (d) Pistil. 



E. Ripe pod. 



F. Seed, with fnnicle partly eneircliug it in double folds. 



G. Phyllode with pinnate true leaves. 



