492 ETJCALYPTS OF THE COTJNTY OF CTJMBERLAND, 



the base, there is also a marked dissimilarity in their seedlings, 

 for whilst the leaves of the young Stringy Barks are rough, nearly 

 opposite, and lanceolate, those of the Peppermint are smooth and 

 roundish. Mr. Bentham considered U. eiigenioides, or the White 

 Stringy Bark to be a variety of E. ])i])erita, but as the trees differ 

 not only in the parts specified but also in their bark, wood, and 

 habit, the opinion is inadmissible. The wood of the Peppermint 

 has a bad reputation, being regarded as useless for fencing and 

 carpentry, as well as for fuel. In the progress of inquiry, no 

 doubt, it will be found applicable to some industrial purpose, but 

 this is the character given to it by a recent writer : ^' Hard to 

 kill, hard to grub, difficult to burn, and useless for all splitting 

 purposes, it is a nuisance to the farmer, whether alive or dead." 

 The occurrence of the Stringy Barks and Peppermint seems to be 

 intimately connected with the geological formation of the soil, for 

 whilst E. ca^itella and E. piperita prefer what is termed the Sydney 

 sandstone or Hawkesbury Eocks, E. eugenioides, is the species 

 found most frequently on the Parramatta Beds. Thus, for 

 instance, E. capiteUa, is found in the neighbourhood of Port 

 Jackson, and then, again on parts of the Blue Mountains where 

 the formation is similar. The same remark may be made 

 respecting E. piperita, for, though occurring at Manly Beach, on 

 the Creeks to the north of Parramatta, and also on the rocky 

 banks of the Parramatta Eiver, it passes over a considerable 

 portion of tne County and appears again on the Blue Mountains. 

 I am not aware that E. macrorrhyncha is to be found on this side 

 of the Dividing Eange, but, on the sides of the hills beyond 

 Mudgee, it is one of the forms of Stringy Bark, preferring a 

 porphyritic whinstone and felspar. This subject was discussed 

 in a paper by Mr. W. Christie, read before the Eoyal Society in 

 November, 1876, in which my eminent friend the late Eevd. W. 

 B. Clarke, took an especial interest, but as I did not see Mr. 

 Christie's specimens, I can only observe, that one of the Stringy 

 Barks in New England prefers '' granite and elvanite soil," whilst 



