the time of their arrival. As they were not looking for fish in any
inland town, they naturally inquired what it was before them.

"That is the Murray cod, sir, or cod-perch, as we call it," said the
waiter, in reply to Ned's question. "It is a fish caught in the Murray
River, and I think you'll like it, gentlemen."

They did like it, all three of our friends pronouncing it quite
toothsome. It is a fish somewhat resembling the American perch, both in
appearance and in taste, and probably belongs to the same family.
Australia is poorly supplied with fresh water fishes. Many of the lakes
contain no fish whatever, and the few that are found there are poor
eating. There are trout in the mountainous districts, but they are not
numerous. Attempts have been made to stock the rivers with European
salmon, carp, and other food fishes, but thus far the experiments have
not been especially successful. Once in a while a fisherman catches a
small salmon in one of the streams, and paragraphs concerning his
performance are circulated far and wide in the newspapers. The habit of
most of the Australian rivers of running dry at certain portions of the
year is a serious discouragement to the industry of fish culture.

At Albury our friends found themselves in one of the mountainous
districts of Australia. Mount Kosciusco, the highest peak in Australia,
was not far away, though not visible from the town, but other mountain
peaks were in sight of the place. Kosciusco is not a very high mountain,
as mountains go, as its summit is only 7,308 feet above the level of the
sea. It is quite picturesquely situated, forming one of a group of
several mountains, and the journey to its summit is by no means an easy
matter.

Athletic young men, with a fondness for adventure, occasionally make up
parties for an excursion to the top of the mountain, and if the weather
is good they come back with their spirits high, their shoes or boots
well worn, and their clothing more or less damaged. Traveling facilities
are limited, and anybody who climbs Mount Kosciusco must expect to
"rough it." The town nearest to the mountain is Tumberumba, and the
excursion is made partly on horseback and partly on foot. It is forty
miles from Tumberumba to the mountain, and in order to reach that town
it is necessary to travel by coach a distance of seventy-four miles,
from Calcairn, which is the nearest station on the railway.

Travelers who have visited Switzerland before g