THE AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST. 185 
for the night. we began the ascent early the following 
morning. ‘The climb to the Tops, 4,500 feet, took five 
hours. On the lower slopes we left the white butterflies; 
these were replaced by the browns, Junonia villida, Pyra- 
mes kershawi, and Heteronympha merape. Bordering on 
3,000 feet we entered a forest of beech, Magus Moorei, the 
bushman’s mock cedar. The trees were magnificent speci- 
Inens, growing in rich vyoleanie soil, and the journey 
through the shady coolness is something for the westerner 
to dream of while the thermometer is working overtime. 
The boles of the trees were in many cases covered with a 
filmy fern, Hymenophyllum tunbridgense, which gave 
them a sickly appearance. 
Butterflies were left behind, and when we emerged 
upon the plateau I saw only a few’small browns, one 
specimen of Macleay’s swallow-tail, and several Belenois 
java. 
The ground is boggy in all depressions and rich in 
orchids, sundew, wild violet, and Stylidium. I was de- 
lighted to see the rich colouring of the Stylidiwm and vio- 
let. I was not the botanist of the expedition, but gathered 
specimens of Diwris (five varieties not previously seen by 
me); Dipodium punctatwm, Lotus australis (suspected of 
being poisonous) ; and the common Pimelia, Dillwynia, ete., 
and a small Hakea. An interesting small specimen was 
Erigeron pappochromus, found in high altitudes like Kos- 
cinsko and Cradle Mountain (Tasmania), but lacking the 
extreme woolly appearance of the latter specimen, and a 
small specimen of Hpacris brevifolia, a plant which has 
been confused with the Tasmanian H. heteronema. 
Bird life on the plateau comprised the Welcome 
Swallow along the creeks, the Spur-winged Plover on the 
open plains (a real one-tree plain, about three miles by 
one), and the Black Magpie or Pied Bell Magpie (Strepera 
graculina), with its strong and jolly call, and one Flame- 
breasted Robin. Lyre Birds, Thrushes, and Tree Creepers 
were plentiful in the brush and undergrowth on the upward 
climb. , 
Upon our return we took train to Wingham, and 
thence by car 27 miles to the Comboyne, a tableland be- 
tween the Hastings and Manning Rivers. The climb up 
the mountain to 2.300 feet from sea-level is productive of 
very fine scenery, The outlook toward the sea is much 
