Western Range, Tasmania . 
133 
to force our way through the thickest forest I ever 
had the ill luck to get into; and just at dark had the 
good fortune to find ourselves again on theLiffy, though, 
as near as we could ascertain, not more than a mile or two 
below where we breakfasted. One part of the scrub con¬ 
sisted of a tree called the Bastard Dog-wood (Pomoderus 
apetala) 20 to 25 feet in length, but not generally much 
thicker than one’s arm, and lying prostrate; having 
evidently been thrown down by a violent squall from the 
range. Here we were obliged to assist our dogs, or they 
could not have got on at all. We had been walking 
fully ten hours, but I do not think we had advanced as 
many miles, though we did our best. Where we rested 
for the night the Lifty flows through a very deep ravine, 
in which there were numerous tree ferns, of the fronds 
of which we made our bed. 
The next day we tried again to get into a more open 
country, but, finding the forest absolutely impenetrable, 
were obliged to follow the course of the stream; and after 
walking from 20 to 25 miles, and crossing the river a 
great number of times, we again stopped for the night; 
having reached a spot where there was just room enough 
for our dormitory. The remnants of our provisions, con¬ 
sisting of a few fragments of biscuit, having been eaten at 
breakfast, we went to bed supperless, witli the exception 
of some tea. If we had not shot a wild bullock on the 
range, and secured some steaks, we should have been 
about three days with only a small quantity of biscuit. 
As it was, our dogs had nothing from the morning of one 
day until near noon of the third. The difficulty of 
carrying provisions is always an objection to excursions 
in this Colony : but the want of water is, in my opinion, 
the most serious privation in the bush. In some parts of 
the deep ravine, or gully, through which the Liffy flows, 
the walking was tolerably good, but in others so difficult 
