122 Australasian Ornithologists' Union. fist^lan 



is witnessed by a long blind arm of the river running into the 

 rear of these sand hills. The real mouth, still fighting, is now 

 pushed against the crags on the eastern point. 



The country to the east of the river is markedly different 

 from that on the western side, and this is first hinted at on seeing 

 the section of the cliff face at the mouth. In the main the north 

 coast of Kangaroo Island is formed of the tilted layers of meta- 

 morphosed rock, similar to those of the Mt. Lofty Ranges, South 

 Australia. This rock weathers into a rugged and precipitous 

 coastline, only here and there relieved by tiny sandy bays, such 

 as that near which we were camped. At the Middle River mouth, 

 however, these tilted layers are seen to be overlaid by irregular 

 horizontal deposits of limestone, the record of some ancient sea 

 when Kangaroo Island had a different shape to its present one. 



This change in rock and soil gives a difference in vegetation 

 and in scenery, and also in bird life, which is very striking. The 

 first excursion was made in this direction. Ascending from the 

 river flat by one of the numerous gullies, dense masses of 

 Kangaroo Island acacia are met with. This is the prickly 

 variety, so well known for hedges, and being interlaced with a 

 dwarf spiny Prosta^itJiera, a great deal of discomfort is ex- 

 perienced in pushing through. Then come belts of a flowering 

 shrub (Aster), together with a number of sticky Cryptcxndj'a, 

 growing among the lime concretions which lie thickly around. 

 When the plateau is reached, at 200 feet above sea-level it is 

 found to be a veritable native flower garden. Orchids and 

 small plants of many kinds grow beneath heather-like shrubs 

 knee high, which are in turn sheltered by brakes of dwarf 

 Casnaritia, Mallee eucalypts and Mallee scrub {Melaleuca 

 iincmata). Several botanists were in the party, who combine 

 botany with the kindred study of ornithology, and they record 

 over 150 species of flowering plants from this locality alone. 

 The grass-tree {Xanthorrha'a), with seared black butts 3 to 6 

 feet in height, grows in belts. This tree is a denizen of the 

 poorer parts, and prefers ironstone gravelly tracts. The iron- 

 stone gravel occurring in places among the limestone points to 

 the presence of underground hills, so to speak, of slaty rock 

 (similar to that seen to the westward across Middle River 

 valley), which rise to the level of the limestone moorland. The 

 grass-trees' globular heads of grass-like leaves are very pictur- 

 esque, and when the tall flower-spike is thrown up from the 

 centre some 6 feet or more the honey-eating birds and insects 

 are well supplied with food. The " yacca," as the grass-tree is 

 often called, exudes from the lower portion of its trunk a rust- 

 coloured resinous gum, which is valuable in varnish making. 

 When a fire has been over them they furnish a sort of resin, 

 which is sometimes used in the preparation of " brown hand 

 varnish," and is almost as good a colouring matter as the 



