dealbata) was scattered throughout 
the flood plain. Very many of the 
Silver Wattles found were dead, prob- 
ably because of an infestation of 
borers, as flight holes attributable to 
these insects were seen in the trunks. 
Prickly Teatree {Leptospermum juni- 
perinum) grew immediately beside 
the creek. 
The Eucalypts were the most notice- 
able components of the habitat. Six 
species were found on the flood plains. 
Candlebark {Eucalyptus rubida). 
Swamp Gum (E. ovata), Manna Gum 
(E. viminalis). Narrow-leafed Pep- 
permint (E. radiata), River Red Gum 
{E. camaldulensis) , and Red Box {E. 
polyanthemus) . 
The hillsides are generally of grades 
of about one in five and the shallow 
topsoil is a reddish coloured clay, with 
battered sandstones protruding in 
several places. There was very little 
ground cover. Vegetation here con- 
sisted of the Hook Sallow Wattle 
{Acacia mucronata var. dissidflora) 
which was very prolific on the drier 
slopes. Elderberry Panax {Tieghemo- 
panax sambucifolius) occurred in con- 
junction with the Hook Sallow Wattle. 
Forest Wire-grass {Tetrarrhena jun- 
cea) entangled all the other hill vege- 
tation. Silver Wattle also occurred ex- 
tensively on the slopes in considerable 
numbers. Long Mat-rush {Lomandra 
longi folia) was dominant in the damp 
gullies intersecting the slopes. 
Three eucalypts occurred on the 
hillsides. The commonest on the drier 
slopes was the Narrow-leafed Pepper- 
mint. Red Box {E. polyanthemos) 
was found scattered through the stands 
of Peppermint. Manna Gum, where 
found in hillside situations, usually 
had a very thick butt, twisted and 
gnarled, quite different from the 
Manna Gums of the flats, which were 
tall, straight trees up to a height of 
about one hundred and fifty feet. 
Methods used in Surveying 
Because of the diversity of mammals 
found in the area it was necessary to 
employ several overlapping methods of 
surveying. The most productive means 
was spotlighting at night. Most native 
mammals are nocturnal and spotlight- 
ing provided the best opportunities of 
observing the slower moving species. 
Spotlighting was generally begun each 
night at twilight and the two "Big 
Jim" spotlights were used. 
Most spotlight observations were of 
possums, and two species were found 
very easily by their eye reflections. 
These were the Greater Glider and 
the Ringtail Possum, whose eyes ap- 
pear white and red respectively in the 
light from spotlight beams. It was 
necessary to listen for the other 
possums, especially the Bobuck and 
the Yellow-bellied Glider, which are 
easily identified by their calls. More 
difficulty was experienced in finding 
other species — Sugar Glider and 
Feathertail Glider — because both of 
these are so small that considerable 
patience and intense listening were 
necessary to locate them. 
Ground mammals are difficult to ob- 
serve by spotlight and twelve cage- 
traps were used to collect them. The 
wire-mesh traps were 14" x 8" x 7" in 
size and were baited with a mixture of 
peanut butter, oatmeal and honey. 
All animals caught were unharmed 
and were released in the area of cap- 
ture, except for an Allied Rat and a 
Brown Phascogale which were lodged 
with the Department of Fisheries and 
Wildlife. The traps were set each after- 
noon wherever there was evidence of 
ground mammal activity and each 
morning the traps were collected and 
the catches recorded and released. 
Each night a different area was 
trapped and care was taken not to 
disturb traps during the night. The 
easiest places to trap were along creek 
February, 1969 
49 
