126 
Excursion to the 
fire-place, to which they had, it seems, retired for 
warmth. A Thylacinus that I saw in possession of a 
gentleman had a puppy six weeks old thrown to it, 
which it immediately tore to pieces and devoured. 
I returned to Cormorville by the way I had gone, and 
the next day asceuded, with Mr. Arthur O’Connor, to 
the summit of Miller’s, or the Lake Bluff, the south¬ 
eastern extremity of the Western Range, and about 
4000 feet above the sea. We went nine or ten miles on 
horseback, and then leaving our horses at a shepherd’s 
hut, passed over one continued accumulation of frag¬ 
ments of rock (trap), and occasionally among shrubs 
through which we had to penetrate by sheer force. As 
we had to employ both hands and feet in clambering 
over the blocks of stone, the ascent proved somewhat 
fatiguing; but I was amply repaid by one of the finest 
prospects I have beheld in the Colony, extending to 
a distance of from 40 to 50 miles. Lakes Arthur and 
S or ell were distinctly seen, with the Macquarie and Lake 
Rivers; together with a very considerable extent of the 
great valley comprised between the Eastern and Western 
Ranges: Ben Lomond also was seen to great advantage. 
I had previously ascended this mountain, but prefer the 
view from the Bluff. There is, however, no comparison 
between the appearance of the two as seen from below, 
Ben Lomond being infinitely more striking and pic¬ 
turesque. Lofty as Ben Lomond is, I saw numerous 
kangaroos on the summit, and recent traces of the emu, 
a bird now very rare in this Island. 
I was much struck with the beauty of some of the shrubs 
on the Bluff, most of which were loaded with berries. 
The following are the names of a few of them, and were 
furnished me by my friend Mr. Ronald Gunn, to whom 
I am also indebted for the names of several other plants 
that will be mentioned :— 
