80 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Further north the scenery is very monotonous. On the hills 

 we often met with a curious gum-tree {Eucalyptus terminalis), 

 remarkable on account of its dazzling white stem. The whiteness 

 is due to a peculiar powdery surface on the bark, which the 

 natives use for powdering their head-bands and other ornaments. 



We now travel north over the Burt Plain, the country sloping 

 gradually in the direction we are going. A prominent feature 

 here is Central Mount Stuart, which, as nearly as possible, 

 occupies the very centre of Australia. The early explorers had 

 great difficulty in getting through this countrv, owing to the 

 Mulga scrub {Acacia aneura) being armed with very sharp thorns 

 or spikes, which, when ihey prick your hands or body, are apt to 

 cause a disagreeable sore. Now, owing to the space cleared for 

 the telegraph line, it is quite a simple matter. 



Barrow Creek Station, our next stopping place, about 1,200 

 miles north of Adelaide, was, some thirty years ago, soon after 

 the telegraph line was opened, the scene of the only attack ever 

 made by the natives on the telegraph officials. North of this we 

 meet with the Bean-trees {Krythrina vespertilio), the wood of 

 which the natives use for making shields, &c., while the trees 

 themselves are used as resting-places for the bodies of the dead 

 until the time arrives for buiying them. 



The whole surface of the country is covered with the hillocks 

 of the White Ant, giving it a peculiar appearance, while here and 

 there are ranges of granite hills, the stones of which, in many 

 places, have weathered into perched boulders. 



At Powell's Creek, 250 miles further north, we meet with the 

 Bauhinia trees for the first time. This tree also belongs to the 

 Leguminosge, and extends to Northern Queensland. A eucalyptus, 

 Ji!. platyphyl/a, in this neighbourhood is remarkable for the size of 

 its leaves when in the saphng stage ; they are fully a foot in length 

 and four to five inches in width, In the full-grown tree the 

 leaves are of the usual size. 



The northern part of this country was extremely disappointing, 

 as we had expected to meet with at least semi-tropical vegetation 

 towards the Gulf country ; but there was nothing of the kind, only 

 poor gum scrub, with Bauhinias and India-rubber trees, the latter 

 so-called because when the bark is cut there exudes a white fluid 

 which hardens to about the consistency of india rubber. Water 

 lilies grow in the pools, and are very beautiful when in bloom. 

 To the natives they are very useful as articles of food, the stems 

 being eaten raw, while the roots are roasted and treated much in 

 the same way as we use potatoes. A tree which is of great 

 service to the natives in this part of the country is the Paper-bark, 

 Melaleuca leucodendron. When we were there the trees were 

 covered with beautiful pendent spikes of blossoms. The bark is 

 used by the natives for wrapping around various objects. In 



