lOT) The South Australian Naturalist. 



Then we have two or three rows of scattered wattles, the 

 bald wattle (Acacia retinodes). Trailiiic: hero and there over 

 the hoobyallas are the feathery plnmes of a clematis (micro- 

 phylla), soon to be scattered by the rough winds of autumn. 

 Small berry bushes (Echylaena tomentosa) dot the ground here 

 and there. 



Further inland begins the ''scrub" itself, often with the 

 fresh water teatree on the border of the niallee and broombush. 

 "Where fires have burned clear spaces there are lovely white 

 eA:erl a stings, but elsewhere the bushes are so close that there 

 are very few small flowering plants. Where the fires have 

 run through in successive years burning the larger mallee, the 

 ground is often carpeted thickly with Tsopogon plants with 

 their stiff prickly foliage. Here and there the yaccas are scat- 

 tered thinly, their tall 'Svaddies" resembling in the distance 

 dilapidated telegraph poles. 



SOME FIELD NATURALISTS ON KANGAROO ISLAND. 



(By E.H.I, and W. H.) 



A party of Nature students spent a profitable time on Kan- 

 garoo Island during the holidays. Adverse weather condi- 

 tions prevented the ''Karatta" from sailing on the 26th Decem- 

 ber, but the trip on the 28th proved calm and pleasant. On 

 arrival at Kingscote the party proceeded by motor to Mr. D. R. 

 Lade's, ''Stantons, " MacGillivray, where they met with a cor- 

 dial welcome and enjoyed that warm hospitality for which the 

 island is famous. The party spent a great deal of their time 

 in collecting specimens of the flowers, plants, and insects of 

 the locality. Three freshwater lagoons, quite near the house, 

 proved rich sources of botanical material. Many of these 

 lagoons are roughly circular in form, their beds being a few 

 feet below the level of the surrounding country, and are bor- 

 dered by a high bank of sand upon which usually occurs a 

 profuse growth of teatree, mallee, Banksia (ornata), Dodonaea, 

 and many smaller plants. 



After spending some days here the party were driven to 

 the coast at D'Estree Bay, where they ''batched" for some 

 days, and learned to eat the flesh of the "fiddler." The cook 

 succeeded in making quite a tasteful dish of the tail of these 

 fish. The party caught a spiny anteater (the so-called por- 

 cupine), and carefully examined it before releasing it to go on 

 with its beneficent work. They saw a few lizards, but only 

 two snakes, neither of which was caught. 



