Page:The Zoologist, 1st series, vol 4 (1846).djvu/320

1486 without hearing anything of the dogs, which had gone on before ; at length one gave tongue and the others joined ; we ascended a long acclivity, and on arriving at the top all breathless, found that the opos- sum had escaped, probably by leaping from one branch to another of some of the neighbouring trees. Several such disappointments oc- curred during the night, yet during our wanderings through the forest we managed to kill nine of the two species. About eleven o'clock, feeling rather tired, we got up a huge fire, and sitting down upon a log partook heartily of tea and damper, not forgetting some of the " Queen's own," our friends amusing us with stories about bush-ran- gers, in some of which T suspect they had themselves played a part. After this we made the best of our way back, occasionally getting a shot as we went along, and now and then stumbling over a stone or prostrate tree, and in due time reached our floating home. Some of the opossums were afterwards cooked, but the mess did not give much satisfaction, from the animals having lately fed upon the leaves of the peppermint-tree (Eucalyptus piperita), the peculiar and dis- agreeable flavour of which was partially retained by the meat.

In December, 1842, when I happened to spend some time at a farm upon the Paterson (a tributary of the Hunter, N.S.W.), I frequently visited a small patch of " brush " situated in an angle formed by the river and a shallow lagoon frequented by herons (Ardea Novæ Hollandiæ and A. pacifica), snipe (Scolopax Hardwickii), spur-winged plover (Lobivanellus lobatus), and other waders. The river was here brackish, yet the Platypus was occasionally to be seen among the weeds (Myriophyllum), and the rare Plotus Levaillantii occurred now and then. That beautiful kingfisher (Alcyone azurea), was not un- frequent, and of an evening I have often seen the large purple galli- nule (Porphyrio melanotus) feeding in the fields on the river banks. The "brush" in question was so densely overgrown with underwood that it was difficult to penetrate, and the prowling naturalist who took to it for shelter from the fierce rays of a meridian sun, with the ther- mometer from 85° to 90° or more in the shade, would most likely be driven out by clouds of mosquitos.

Here the night heron (Nycticorax caledonicus), breeds in the tall- est trees, and pigeons and parrakeets of several kinds, with a multi- tude of other birds, were always to be found. In this secluded spot the small kangaroo, known to the colonists by the name of "Pade- melon," the Halmaturus Thetidis of Gould's Monograph, found an asylum. T had often caught a glimpse of this elegant creature, but could not for some time succeed in obtaining one; I accordingly re-