117 
the south-south-west, following an open swamp; crossed, and 
camped for dinner. 
After this a tramp of hardly a mile brought us to the south of 
Brenton Bay. As our destination was Lethbridge Bay, fifteen 
miles to the west, we pushed ahead on the sandy sea-beach till 
late in the afternoon, when we camped. Water was fortunately 
found in a sandy hollow after digging about three feet, and we 
passed the night undisturbed. 
The next morning an early start was again made, and we 
expected to see the ship about 10 a.m. However, after a tramp 
of nine miles we encountered a large inlet of the sea not marked 
on the map, which was named ‘“ Robinson’s Inlet,” which stopped 
our further travel. A raft of dry wood and bushes was soon 
made, and four of our best swimmers placing their clothes and 
weapons on this raft, crossed over to the other side with instruct- 
ions to signal the vessel. After a short while they returned, 
however, with a native canoe, which they had found, and which 
enabled those members of the party who were not good swimmers 
to cross to the other side. A tramp of about two miles brought 
the Bright-Red Cliffs in Lethbridge Bay in our view, and shortly 
after the s.s. Active was also seen awaiting our coming. 
The country around Lethbridge Bay was dotted with signal- 
fires, and showed that the natives had watched the movements of 
the vessel round the coast, and intended evidently to oppose a 
landing on their island with all their might. While waiting on 
the beach for the Active’s boats, the natives managed to crawl 
through the bush near enough to give us as a parting salute a 
shower of spears, which, however, although they fell into our 
midst, did no harm. 
The most prominent feature botanically observed on Melville 
Tsland is the fact that no bamboos at all were met with, and the 
fact that the spears of the inhabitants, which were thrown at us, 
were made of thin mangrove stems and stringybark would almost 
prove their absence on the island. A botanical novelty which I 
would have liked very much to have taken with me was found in 
the shape of a Livistona humilis with four distinct branches. 
The list of plants observed during the trip is far from com- 
plete, as the hurried way in which I had to make my observa- 
tions enabled me only to see the more prominent plants, par- 
ticularly trees, besides which, the season being so advanced most 
grasses and herbaceous plants were made already unrecognisable. 
No orchids whatever were observed, and, with the exception of 
the Lycopodium cernwwm, no plant which I had not previously 
collected on the mainland. 
