[80] From the following paragraph, copied from the “Sydney Herald” newspaper, the bite of this reptile does not prove so immediately fatal as had been represented to me. “The overseer of Mr. Cox, at Mulgoa, _a few days_ since, was bitten by a _yellow snake_. The piece was cut out, but the unfortunate man still remains in a dangerous state.”—_October 25th, 1832._ [81] There is a fine stuffed specimen of this reptile deposited in the Colonial Museum, in which the colours are well retained. [82] For an account of this unnatural fact, and the supposed cause that produced it, see a separate account in the Appendix, at the end of the second volume. [83] This occasioned a lady at home to declare, that of all the wonderful productions of Australia, she thought nothing could equal the “feathered donkey.” [84] From secondary limestone rocks on Yas Plains, about one mile and a-half distant from the river, I collected large masses of what appears to be fossil _Rotularia_. [85] The fossil bones found in the cave at Wellington Valley refer to eight species of animals, of the following genera:— Dasyurus, or Thylacinus. Hypsiprymnus, or Kangaroo Rat. Phascolomys one species. Kangaroo two, if not three species. Elephant one species. Halmaturus two species. Of these eight species, four belong to animals unknown to zoologists; viz. Two species of Halmaturus. One species of Hypsiprymnus. One species of Elephant. _Kangaroo_—three species not easily ascertained. _Dasyurus_ is doubtful, no head having been found. _Edinburgh Journal._ [86] But little doubt exists in the minds of naturalists that this animal is not indigenous to Australia; its not being met with in Van Dieman’s Land (when all the other genera peculiar to Australia are found there) will rather tend to confirm the hypothesis.