60 



Personal Obscruatiom in the 



^ The chemical constitution of the latter is aluminum 35, 

 silica 48^ and water 13 ; it is found in cavities twenty or 

 twenty-five feet in diameter; and could be profitably turned 

 to account in the manufacture of china glass. The smoky 

 quartz is of great beauty, and besides being an ornament to 

 museums, is valuable as an article of trade for jewellers' pur- 

 poses. Hence it would be a profitable investment for the 

 employment of labour; many valuable specimens could in a 

 short time be procured by three or four workmen under good 

 superintendence, and the princiiml expended (£200 would 

 cover all) would be profitably returned by the sale of speci- 

 mens. 



The black tourmaline or schorl is interesting on account of 

 the peculiar form in which it is crystallised. While on these 

 ranges, as well as on other occasions, the absence of mountain 

 limestone and mica slate in our primitive rocks struck me as 

 a very remarkable ftxct, in some measure accounting for the 

 scarcity of precious stones in our plutonic rocks. 



III. Fish. — In the spring months the Goulburn is too deep 

 to afford a plentiful supply of fish, but later in the season 

 they may be obtained in large quantities. As soon as the 

 volume of the rivers begins to diminish, the finny inhabitants 

 leave the mud at the bottom, where they had concealed them- 

 selves for warmth, and disport themselves in the higher tem- 

 perature on the surface of the water. Seven different species 

 of fish are known by me to exist in the Mui-ray ; and five 

 other distinct species inhabit our smaller rivers. 



Of Mollusca only four species have as yet been found in 

 the rivers and lakes of Victoria, viz., three varieties of uni- 

 valve, and one of bivalve. It is difficult to account for this 

 remarkable and somewhat characteristic fact ; but I am in- 

 clined to think that the absence of limestone in our moun- 

 tains and the long summer droughts stand in some connection 

 with it. The Mollusca referred to are — 



1. — Lymnaea palustris (?) of Lamarck, This shell is about 

 one inch in length, and consists of three or four rapidly 

 decreasing volutions^ from left to right. It is diffused through 

 all our lagoons. 



2. — Lymnaea peregra (?) of Lamarck, The shell of this spe- 

 cies is about three-eighths of an inch in length ; the volute 

 winds from left to right, and the colour is a dark grey. It is 

 very plentiful in the low plains, which in winter are covered 

 with water, but become dried up in the warm season. 



