13 
and more stunted, and the open is covered with a thick sward 
of tussock grass, at times quite dense and from six to eight 
inches in height. Where the ground is not swampy and sour, 
it yields splendid pasturage, particularly for cattle. Only now 
and again some of the pretty alpine flowers are met with, mostly 
Gentians (G.montana) and Heliochrysums. The Celmisias, of 
which large patches are found, like many other alpine plants 
were past dowering, and had already shed their seeds. I managed 
to collect the seeds of about a dozen kinds, mostly Composite. On 
the whole with such a bleak day as we had, and at the time of 
the year, the higher parts of the ranges did not look very attractive. 
Much of the almost desert-like look was undoubtedly caused 
through the firing which had been carried on to an unusual extent 
during the long dry summer. On every peak half burned and 
dead scrub stared us in the face. We reached Mt. Townsend 
about half-past eleven, and Mt. Kosciusko an hour later. 
Mt. Townsend is easily accessible, and in a northerly direction 
is connected with Mt. Clarke by a saddle. By turning to the 
left from Mt. Clarke over another saddle Mt. Kosciusko, or, as 
called by IV. Lendenfeld, “ Mueller’s Peak,” is reached. This 
peak, surmounted by a large cairn, affords a fine view and is 
the most frequently visited. It is somewhat surprising there- 
fore that the error in Townsend’s map of this interesting part 
has not been rectified (unless it has been done quite recently). 
1 regretted very much that I had left Dr. Lendenfeld’s Report 
at the camp, and therefore could not compare the map on the 
spot and correct it, which I would not care to do from memory. 
The error is that the Snowy River is made to flow from the 
saddle connecting Mt. Clarke with Mt. Kosciusko, whilst in 
reality it is plainly seen to How into the Murray from the peak. 
Mt. Clarke on the contrary connects in a northerly direction 
by various lower peaks and saddles with the “Big Boogong,” 
a very prominent mountain dividing the Snowy and Murray 
waters. 
I was very desirous to obtain specimens of Natural History 
from these high elevations, but owing no doubt to the cold 
weather nothing was visible. Over the highest waterhole of 
Australia (7,000 feet altitude), at the foot of Mt. Kosciusko, a 
few dipterous insects were hovering, of which 1 secured about 
half-a-dozen, and in a pool a little lower in Wilkinson’s Valley 
I found two species of frogs in a young state. Besides these 
only several kinds of seeds were collected here. The absence 
of Galaxias at this elevation struck me as peculiar. It is, 
however, remarkable that on the Snowy River side these fishes 
are met with almost everywhere. 
From Mt. Kosciusko we somewhat retraced our steps through 
Wilkinson’s Valley, and leaving Mt. Townsend on our right 
