110 Transactions. 



Atriplex cinerea, Sonchus oleraceus, Polycarpon tetraphyllum, Parietaria 

 debilis, Senecio vulgaris, and the trailing plants Vigna lutea, Lyonsia 

 reticulata, and Ipomaea palmata. Near the sea Scirpus nodosus, Tetra- 

 gonia strongylocarpa, Apium prostratum, and Mesembryanthemum aequilaterale 

 appear, while Wedelea uniflora is absent. 



Sand-dunes, which are found chiefly in Blinkenthorp Bay, Ned's Beach, 

 and West Bay, are occupied chiefly by Spinifex hirsutus and Ipomaea pes- 

 caprae. 



6. Rush Formations. 



West Bay. — Between the beach and the forest is a stretch of level sand 

 about 50 m. wide, and extending almost the whole length of the beach. 

 This is covered with a dense growth of rushes and grasses up to 1 m. tall. 

 The dominant plant is Scirpus nodosus, but along the sea-edge a fair amount 

 of Spinifex hirsutus is found. Mixed with the Scirpus and Spinifex are 

 sundry other plants of lesser importance. A few shrubs of Myoporum 

 insulare, Ochrosia elliptica, and Coprosma prisca occur, but scarcely grow 

 higher than the Scirpus. Poa caespitosa is common, also Lepidium howei- 

 insulae. Trailing plants are Wedelia uniflora, Vincetoxicum carnosum, and 

 Mucuna gigantea. 



North Hills. — In the gap between Mount Eliza and North Head the 

 succulent-plant formation on the exposed side is replaced on the leeward 

 side by a covering, 1 m. or more tall, of rushes and grasses, with a 

 few shrubs intermixed. The whole valley is usually drenched with salt 

 spray. Scirpus nodosus is the dominant plant. Each side up the hill- 

 slope it mixes with Cassinia scrub, which then passes to forest. Among 

 the Scirpus there grow Poa caespitosa, Cynodon dactylon, Lobelia anceps, 

 and the trailing plant Ipomaea palmata. 



Over extensive areas the tall grass Phragmites communis is mixed with 

 Scirpus nodosus and the shrub Cassinia tenuifolia. The whole association 

 is very dense, and up to 2 m. in height. Trailing over it are Ipomaea 

 palmata and Stephania Forsteri. In the lowest portion of this formation 

 near the forest large shrubs, 3 m. tall, of Coprosma prisca and Myoporum 

 insulare are fairly common. 



7. Tussock Sedges. 



At the western base of Mount Gower is a talus slope, known as the Little 

 Slope, and occupied chiefly by Ficus forest. At the northern end is a large 

 patch of Mariscus haematodes. The large tussocks occupy the whole 

 surface. Few other species are present, the most conspicuous being the 

 trailing Ipomaea palmata. The ground is everywhere undermined by 

 petrels (Pterodroma melanopus), which breed in burrows during the summer 

 months. 



On the steep sides of the gap in the Northern Hills, already referred to, 

 there are large patches of Mariscus haematodes. 



8. Herbaceous Plants. 



Damp ground : A small area of the flat ground in West Bay' is suffi- 

 ciently damp as to be called locally a swamp. This is occupied by a close 

 growth, about | m. high, of Kyllinga monocephala. Here and there are 

 a few plants of J uncus pallidus and Mariscus haematodes. 



