136 
KINGHORN, Trip to Upper Colo Pm ocT 
Every evening traps were set, and after tea jacklight excur- 
sions were made until about ten o’clock, at which hour we 
were content to call it “a day.” The residents of the district 
told us that Rock Wallabies (Petrogale penicillata ) had been 
cleaned out years ago by shooting parties from Richmond and 
Windsor, such parties including people who would shoot at any¬ 
thing and everything, from a Robin to a domestic cow. We 
proved to our own satisfaction, with the aid of our jacklight, 
that these animals were still about, though not in large numbers, 
and that they did not venture out until well into the night, 
probably long after the settlers had gone to the land of dreams. 
T his information we kept to ourselves, thereby hoping to save 
further slaughter. It appears that the possum has been exter¬ 
minated in this district, as during our many jacklight trips we 
did not even hear one in the trees. The birds at Upper Colo are 
in myriads, and the locality could aptly be termed “a bird lover's 
paradise.” 
Although we did not visit the country beyond the river, we 
learned that it contained plenty of kangaroos and wallabies of 
more than one species, and that some of the gullies about fifteen 
or twenty miles away were alive with birds and mammals of 
many kinds. Some of the settlers offered to guide us to these 
places, but, unfortunately, our time did not allow us to leave 
Upper Colo. From all accounts it would appear that an ex¬ 
tended trip to the country beyond the river, through to Putty 
or even Singleton, would be well worth the time and expense. 
During our stay in the district we received many visits from 
school children, who took much interest in our work, eventually 
setting out to collect moths and lizards for us in their spare time. 
A special lecturette was given to them under a large tree at the 
camp, about twenty of them squatting on logs and on the grass, 
where Wright and Fletcher were preparing skins, while the 
writer spoke to them on “The Value of Birds Round the Farm,” 
and “Snakes and Snake Venom.” 
1 he five days passed all too quickly, and Friday found us 
pacicmg up and getting ready for the return journey. The heavy 
pull over the ranges, and the walking up the steepest grades 
during the heat of the afternoon, soon told on the party as well 
as on the horse, and, when seven o'clock found us at Comleroy, 
and still about nine miles from Richmond, we decided that a 
halt for the night would be most welcome. Through the gener¬ 
osity of Mr. McMahon we spent the night in one of his barns, 
and made ourselves very comfortable. Saturday morning saw 
us up early, making a final sorting and packing before returning 
to Sydney Richmond was reached at midday, and a few hours 
later found us at the Museum, where stock was taken and all 
the routine work connected with a collecting trip was finalised. 
Everything considered, the trip was a very successful one, for, 
apart from gathering a varied assortment of specimens, we 
