March, 1892. ) 57 



We left on November 5tli, and after rounding the N.W. Cape of 

 Australia on the 9th, encountered the usual strong south wind which 

 prevails on this coast at the present time, and we did not arrive at our 

 next port, Grascoyne, at the entrance of Shark's Bay, until the evening 

 of the 18th. This part of the Australian coast is one of the most 

 dreary and barren-looking in the world, and Gascoyne is no exception, 

 little or no verdure visible except a few mangroves. I am told, though, 

 that the country in the interior is much finer. Being busily occupied 

 with coaling ship on the 11th, I was unable to land at Gascoyne. We 

 started next day on our voyage to Geraldton (Champion Bay), in- 

 tending to go out into the ocean by the Naturaliste Channel, but in 

 crossing Shark's Bay we encountered so strong a head wind, that it 

 was decided, at 4.30 p.m., to anchor under the north end of Dirk 

 Hartog Island. The following morning (13th) it still blew rather 

 hard, but not so much as to prevent me landing for two or three hours 

 on Dirk Hartog Island, and having a very enjoyable ramble. I found 

 I had got into quite a new style of country, cliffs about 150 feet high 

 bounding an undulating plain, covered with a vegetation which re- 

 minded me somewhat of an English heath, or still more like that of 

 some of the open plains near the Cork Woods of Southern Spain, 

 mostly low, hard, wiry shrubs, but bearing very pretty flowers, and in 

 very great variety. I should say that even here in this barren island 

 there were more species of plants to the acre than to the square mile 

 in the country round Port Darwin. Insects were generally rather 

 scarce, and consisted chiefly of small Sitoniform weevils, "chafers," a 

 species like a large reddish MeligetJies, and two small BwprestidcB (rare), 

 perhaps 20 species in all. Butterflies were represented by two or 

 three species of LyccBnidce, slightly modified forms of familiar North 

 Australian insects, as far so I can make out. 



The wind moderating at noon, I was recalled by signal from the 

 island, and we left for Geraldton at 1.80 p m. ; but we were fated not 

 to get there, as the head wind increased to the force of a gale, with a 

 very heavy sea dead in our teeth, the consequence being that with all 

 the power we could get out of our engines with the vile Australian 

 coal we had on board, we could not make more than three miles an 

 hour. It was therefore decided to give up Geraldton, and to make 

 for the " Houtman's Abrolhos " Islands ; accordingly, on the afternoon 

 of the 16th we came to anchor, in smooth water, under the lee of East 

 Wallaby Island, at the north-eastern extremity of this little archipelago 

 of coral reefs and islets. We were detained here by the wind (although 







