126 Kennedy's expedition. 



spines — and long- tendrils growing- out of the stem 

 alternately with the leaves^ many of them twenty 

 feet long", covered with strong- spines slig'htly curved 

 downward^ by which the shoots are supported in 

 their rambling" g-rowth. They lay hold of the sur- 

 rounding* bushes and branches of trees^ often covering* 

 the tops of the tallest^ and turning- in all directions. 

 The seed is a small hard nut^ with a thin scaly 

 covering-^ and is produced in great abundance. 



The shootS; which are remarkably toug'h^ I after- 

 wards found were used by the natives in making- 

 their canoes. These canoes are small, and con- 

 structed of bark, with a small sapling- on each side 

 to streng-then them, the ends of which are tied 

 tog-ether with these shoots. 



The gTowth of this plant forms one of the g-reatest 

 obstacles to travelling- in the bush in this district. 

 It forms a dense thicket, into which it is impossible 

 to penetrate without first cutting- it away, and a 

 person once entang-led in its long* tendrils has much 

 difficulty in extricating* himself, as they lay hold of 

 everything' they touch. On entering- the swamjj to 

 examine plants, I was caug-ht b}^ them, and became 

 so much entang-led before I was aware of it, that it 

 took me nearly an hour to g-et clear, althoug-h I had 

 entered but a few yards. No sooner did I cut one 

 tendril, than two or three others clung- around me 

 at the first attempt to move, and where they once 

 clasp they are very difficult to unloose. Abundance 

 of the shoots, fi-om fifteen to twenty feet long-^ free 



