liUGONa >IOUNTAiS. 



^Ronihi <rf Mmemh^t December, and Janu- 

 ary, are qiiitc a season of fcstivitv among the- 

 native bhu.'ks, who assemble from i'sir and near 

 to collect the Biigong ; the bodies of these 

 ias€5cte, cdntain a quantity oil, tli«y are 

 sought dJ£ter as a luscious fattening i^fNl^ 

 I felt very desirous of investigating tlie places 

 where tliese insects were said to cono-rejiate in 

 such incredible (pjantities, and availed myself of 

 tb0 ^azUest opportunity to €o$Q« 



the weather, from undertaking the jonrney until 

 the 12tli of December, at da^m of which day, 

 accompanied by a stock-keeper and some of the 

 blacks^ I eomisi^ed mf msm^n, Tbe day 

 was ^ and % taking ^ <^ximiloisd |mi^ m 

 the declivities of the hills, we M^f^iibh to asceiid 

 on horseback.* After riding over the lower 

 ranges, we arrived a short distance above the 

 base of the Bugong Mountain^ tethered tlie horses, 

 andaiii»ei3td«d oalbot, hf a^st^j^totd tugged path» 

 wliich led us to the first summit of the mountain ; 

 at this phice, called Gunundcry by the natives, 

 enormous masses of granite rock, piled one 



♦ A small species of Xanfhorrhcea, or yellow gum tree, 

 called MocJandara by the aborigines, was abujulaut on the 



e^t^vt by ifae nativesj^ und the taste h ^gv««flbl& 



