108 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



with the mangroves growing on the banks of a tidal inlet, and 

 saw a number of stemless cycads, but few plants were yet in 

 bloom. 



I reached my destination, Port Douglas, about 65 miles south 

 of Cooktown, the same night, and had the greater part of the next 

 day to look round before I could leave for the Mossman River, 

 about 12 miles further north. The town was once the scene of 

 considerable trade, having been the shipping port for Herberton, 

 Watsonville, &c., but most of the trade now goes by railway from 

 from Cairns. The town is peculiarly situated on flat land 

 between a mangrove-lined inlet and a steep hill, called Island 

 Point, which is almost surrounded by the ocean. The hill is tim- 

 bered with eucalypts and a few Pandanus Palms, and from it one 

 can get beautiful views of the coast ranges from near Cairns almost 

 to Mt. Peter Botte, the scene of Mr. Le Souefs graphic descrip- 

 tions at recent meetings of the Club ( Victorian Naturalist, xi., p. 

 3 ; xiii., p. 151 ; and xiv., p. 19). South of the hill a wonderfully 

 flat, straight beach extends as far as the mouth of the Moubray 

 River, so hard that it is used as the local racecourse ; in fact, it 

 was being so used when I was there. I went for a walk along it 

 but found it destitute of shells or seaweed. Striking into the bush, 

 in walking through a part which had been recently burnt, I dis- 

 turbed a butterfly, Papilio erectheus, Don, which soon settled on 

 the trunk of a tree. I attempted to catch it, when it flew round 

 and settled on my leg, which in itself was a peculiar action, and 

 may be accounted for by the fact ihat my dark trousers resembled 

 the burnt scrub. I missed it, and in turning round to look for it, 

 disturbed it again ; a bird saw it and made a sweep for it but 

 missed it, quickly turning, made another sweep and caught it. 

 This is, I think, the first occasion on which I have seen a bird 

 capture a butterfly. 



■ It was late in the afternoon before we could leave Port 

 Douglas. We had to cross the inlet in a boat, then walk a mile 

 or so through the mangroves till we came to where our horses had 

 been brought. We then followed the track over some low, flat 

 country timbered with a large-leaved Paper Bark Tree, Melaleuca 

 leucadendron, Linn. Reaching some better country at Cassowary 

 Creek, I got my first glimpse of a Queensland scrub, though not 

 very thick, as there had been some settlement here at one time. 

 However, on the banks of the creek grew many kinds of ferns, 

 and a few palms and cycads were mixed up with the other vegeta- 

 tion. Presently we passed through some sugar plantations, and 

 travelled along, to all appearances, an ordinary Victorian bush 

 road, eucalypts being the prevailing vegetation. But it was now 

 after sunset, and so far north there is little twilight. I had no 

 conception of what real darkness was till I was nearing the end of 

 my journey. My companion wore the white linen coat customary 



