WESTERN HIGHLANDS, TASMANIA. 789 



patches of ti-tree and various plants of the order of Epac- 

 ridce. The soil is wet and spongy, largely covered with moss 

 at the I'oots of the herbage. The chimney-like holes of the 

 land lobster abound all over the country, even on the tops of 

 the hills. Towards Port Davey the ridges are more gravelly 

 and the herbage shorter, the rocky hills assuming a whiter 

 colour, as if snow-clad. We found slate protruding in 

 many places, with a very good cleavage and a purple tinge, 

 like roofing slates. The quartz is generally pure white, and 

 there are many loose masses of it scattered about, looking 

 like huge blocks of white marble. . . . The plains are 

 well watered by numerous streams of various sizes, each 

 bordered by a belt of thick scrub, chiefly of honeysuckle 

 (Banksia) with a dense growth of bauera and cutting-grass, 

 from 8 to 10 feet high, closely matted together, so that it is 

 impossible to pass by pressing it aside. It must either be 

 cut through or trampled under foot, so that much time is 

 required to cross even the smallest ci-eek. The bauera was 

 in blossom, and we saw several of the ' prionotes ' with their 

 bsautiful pendulous red fiowers. . . . By the streams 

 we found many j)lants of the Native Plum {Cenarrhenes) witli 

 ripe fruit, the Native Laurel (Atiopterus), the Agastachys, and 

 the HakfBa epiglottis, also the Persoonia, the Celery-topped 

 Pine {Phgllocladus), and many others met with in the north. 

 In the forests the prevailing fern, as in the north, is the 

 Lomai'ia procera, and two very pretty species of the 

 Gleichenia." 



The water of these streams is of a dark brown colour, 

 owing to the peaty nature of the country through which they 

 flow. Singularly enough, they appear to contain but few fish, 

 and those we caught were the small native trout,* none of 

 which exceeded six inches in length. In this respect the 

 southern rivers compare unfavourably with those of the 

 northern side of the island, in which the blackfish often 

 reach as much as four or five pounds in weight. 



Resuming our journey, Ave reached Port Davey, where we 

 camped for five days, experiencing during the whole of our 

 stay very rough westerly weather. We nevertheless managed, 

 with the aid of a boat obtained from a resident, to visit many 

 parts of the port on its weather shore, and among others the 

 grandest bit of scenery I beheve to be found in the neighbour- 

 hood — that known as "Hell's Gates" on the Davey River. 



* Genus Galaxias, 



