Page:Sea and River-side Rambles in Victoria.djvu/42

23 numerous along the coast. A worthy friend in the town has taken much pains in endeavouring to rear the young of this and others of the Marsupialia. Great, indeed, was the grief of the townsfolk, when his first protegé, "Peter" died; a general mourning when the second of the same name drowned himself in some soup; but now to console him, he has successfully brought up two young Wombats, taken from the pouch of the mother which he had shot, and these "puir mitherless bairns" follow him about in his peregrinations, without exhibiting any of that timidity which, in their wild state appears natural to them.

The summit of the hill being gained, we have a pretty peep of the river through the clusters of Casuarinæ (She-Oaks), Cherry trees, (Exocarpi,) and Boxwood (Bursaria), which are left to ornament and protect the Botanical Gardens in course of formation on the bank higher up. Breaking through a thick low scrub of Beyera viscosa, we approach the Hopkins River, through whose mouth the stream rushes by a narrow channel into the sea, but, ye stars! Look upon the heap of fine silvery bream and yellow speckled salmon trout, our companion, who was to join us here, has secured!!; "its the early bird," says he, still we had not been idle, and these made us look forward to breakfast hour with some eagerness, and an appetite which many would envy. We try our luck; but not a nibble can we get, and we verily believe these cannibals of fish are finishing their morning meal elsewhere, so we stow away our fishing tackle, form our rods into handles for landing nets,