THE GEELONG NATURALIST. i X44 
a mile the track begins to get very narrow,so we send a party 
to spy out the land. Their report being unfavourable, and there 
not being room to turn the coach, we unload and unharness, and 
have the unlooked for pleasure of having to push the coach back 
ourselves till we reach a place to turn it. .We harness up again 
and bid farewell to the driver, who immediately starts on his return 
to Geelong. 
We now find ourselves compelled to carry our goods to our 
eamping ground; this we proceed to do, and after sending spies to 
view the promised land, and they bringing back a satisfactory report, 
we cross the mouth of the creek, and look about for a suitable spot 
fora camp. At last we pitch on a good position, and while some 
bring the goods to it, a couple of us put up the tents, and the rest 
get tea ready. Everything being arranged and tea being prepared. 
we immediately fall to, and then have a comfortable pipe before 
turning in. High overhead a pair of wedge-tailed eagles 
(Aquila audax) are circling round, while we hear the familiar call : 
of the nepoke (P iem). The laughing jackass (Dacelo 0.527; 
gigas) bids us good night as we turn in after a rather hard day. 
Dee. 27th.— We rise early, and after a dipin the briny, proceed 
to erect a bower over our tent. This we managed by putting six 
uprights, with two or three cross pieces on top, and then piling up 
small branches with the leaves on them over all. 
In exploring the country round the tents (which are pitched 
alongside the river) one of the party, while crossing by a slippery - 
log, went in to see what sort of a river it was; he found it was wet. 
We discover a few nests near the camp, including those of the 
wax-bill (Estrilda temporalis), and the singing honey-eater ( Ptilotis 
vittata), both containing eggs. Atlunch we tackled one of our plum 
p and found it was much better in camp than in town. 
ike Oliver Twist, we asked for more. The afternoon turned out 
so wet that we could do nothing. 
The 28th was wet and stormy. Numbers of white shafted. 
fantails (Rhipidura albiscapa), blue wrens (Malurus cyaneus) and 
scarlet-breasted robins (Petraeca Leggii) were seen as we went 
along the creek on our road to the township, and as we rounded 
Teddy's Looko-ut, a solitary land-rail (Hypotrenidia Philippensis) 
runs along the track ahead of us. "When we reach the township 
we find to our great joy that the Lorne coach driver has picked up 
our missing billy lid. On the Erskine we find two or three camps 
from Geelong, but they include none of our acquaintances. We 
return to camp and proceed to try the creek for fish, of which we 
get a good haul as the tide comes up. 
