THE COCOA-NUT PALM. 95 



The southernmost island of the group differs fi^om 

 No. IV. in being' hig"her and more rocky. Many 

 of the trees here were very hirg-e^ straight^ and 

 branching" only near the top. It appeared to me 

 that they would be hig-hly useful as timber^ and so 

 regTetted being- unable to procure specimens^ on 

 account of their g-reat heig-ht. With the exception 

 of a low sandy portion^ overg-rown with shrubs and 

 small trees^ the remainder of the island is quite free 

 from underwood. Two small clumps of cocoa-nut 

 trees^ loaded with fruity were found on the eastern 

 side of the island^ within reach of the spray^ in a 

 place where they mig'ht have orig'inated from a 

 floating" nut or two thrown upon the beach. This 

 is the only instance in which I have seen this useful 

 plant gTowing' wdld in an}^ part of Australia^ or the 

 islands strictly belonging- to it. We succeeded in 

 shooting' down a number^ and I know no more 

 grateful beverag"e than the milk of a young* cocoa- 

 nut^ especially under the influence of tropical noon- 

 day heat^ on an island where there was not a drop 

 of fresh water to be found. As usual the meg'apodius 

 was plentiful^ and one of our party killed six in a 

 few hours. I also shot a fine larg*e crested pigeon^ 

 of a species hitherto considered peculiar to the 

 settled parts of New South Wales^ and to which 

 the sing-ularly inappropriate specific name of Aiitarc- 

 ticus is applied ; it thus rang"es 380 miles within the 

 tropics. 



Jwie 20th. — Fitzroy Island. After anchoring" for 



