138 
Excursion to the 
about this elevated region that repays him for his trouble 
in exploring it. At the base there is much uncommonly 
picturesque scenery, particularly in the neighbourhood of 
that part of the range called Quamby’s Bluff, the 
northern extremity. It is not more than 10 or 12 miles 
from this bluff that singular caves are found in the lime¬ 
stone formation ; they are the only caves of any extent 
hitherto discovered in the Island. Like the generality of 
caves in this formation, they are chiefly fissures which 
extend a long way into the rock, and there are several 
entrances from without. That we selected was where the 
rock rose abruptly 40 or 50 feet, and we at once entered a 
cave of considerable dimensions : close to which was a 
Eucalyptus 45 feet in girth. Although we lost no time, 
and were occupied not less than four hours in exploring 
the caves, I have no doubt that we left much unseen. In 
some the stalactites were extremely beautiful, and from 20 
to 30 feet from the bottom, depending from the roofs like so 
many icicles; each cave being very different in appearance 
from the adjoining one, and several of very large size. 
The sides of one formed a series of fiat thin shelves ; in 
another was a stalagmite resembling a rudely formed 
pulpit; and in a third a stalagmite was shaped like the 
- head of a weeping willow. On the vertical wall of one 
lofty cave were a number of glow-worms of a kind I had 
not seen before, and shining with great brilliancy with a 
pale greenish light, the effect of which was very re¬ 
markable. They were of a whitish colour, very slender, 
and half an inch long. With the exception of these I 
had not seen any in the Colony save once, and then I 
found two in my garden at Richmond, similar to those of 
England: glow-worms, however, are not uncommon in 
the forests far to the westward. 
A considerable body of water must flow through these 
caves after much rain, for in one there \tas a log 
