Vol. XXVII. 

 igii 



1 at Wilson's Promontory-. 211 



the sea coast, a distance of three or four miles. The valley 

 itself is somewhat dreary, consisting of sand hummocks 

 covered with bracken, Poa ccespitosa, and stunted specimens 

 of Eticalyptus viminalis ; but, nevertheless, it seemed a 

 locality favoured by members of the animal kingdom, for we 

 saw wallabies and native bears frequently as we passed along. 



Near the sea-coast, at the south-west corner of Mt. Norgate, 

 we obtained PitUencBa canaliciilata^ Mesemhryanthemum attstrale, 

 Cotula filifolia, and Scirpus inimdatus, all of which were ad- 

 ditions to the collection of flora. On the coast SccBVola siiaveolens 

 was seen in fruit, its succulent fruit greatly resembling that 

 of Eugenia Smithii, '' Lilly-pilly." On the slopes of Mt. Norgate 

 the vegetation is very dwarfed, consisting of Banksia marginata, 

 Casuarina distyla, Persoonia juniperina, Hakea acicularis, 

 Leptospermum scoparium, and Melaleuca squarrosa. On the 

 summit the principal tree is Eucalyptus globulus, but it does 

 not there attain its usual height and proportions. 



Our observations next day attracted us in the direction of 

 Waterloo Bay. On the banks of a creek which we crossed on 

 our way the " King Fern," Todea (Osmunda) barbara grew 

 luxuriantly in the company of Dicksonia Billardieri, the 

 common " Valley Tree-fern." The flats near the bay are clothed 

 in stunted vegetation, consisting chiefly of Acacia myrtifolia, 

 Melaleuca ericifolia, and M. squarrosa, none of which attained 

 a height of more than about eighteen inches, and there were 

 also specimens of Sprengelia incarnata, Leptocarpus Brownii, 

 Cladium junceum, Schcenus brevifolius, and the unique fern, 

 Schizcea bifida. On the beach the usual coastal plants 

 abounded, from amongst which we singled out for special 

 observation a very dwarfed form of the eucalypt E. capitellata, 

 which was badly infested with a parasitical plant, Cassytha 

 nielantha, whose growth had formed tangles like strings from 

 branch to branch. 



Leaving Waterloo Bay flats, we proceeded as far as Boat 

 Harbour Hfll, and thence along the ridges to Martin's Hfll. 

 The route was thickly timbered with eucalypts — viz., E. 

 globulus, E. capitellata, E. macrorrhyncha, and E. obliqua, the 

 three last-mentioned species having thick, persistent, fibrous 

 bark, which protects the wood from the ravages of fire. A 

 large bush fire had swept through these parts about three 

 years ago, and we noticed that on these fibrous-barked trees, 

 although it had killed the branches and singed the bark black, 

 fresh growths had since shot forth from the trunks, whereas 

 the smooth-barked species were nearly all killed by the flames. 



At the heads of many deep gullies great granite boulders 

 projected, but were not to be seen on the slopes at all. Here 

 Amperea spartioides flourished exceedingly, and its leaves 



