EUCALYPTUS TREES. 143 
arundinacea) lines, as far as yet discovered, only the 
banks of a few of the rivers of Arnhems-land. 
To the pastoral settler, for whom more particularly 
the generally open Eucalyptus country or the treeless 
or partly scrubby tracts are eligible, it must be of sig- 
nificance that the rainfall occurs with frequency during 
the hottest part of the year. Hence, during the Sum- 
mer, grass and herbage is pushing forth with extra- 
ordinary rapidity and exuberance, while a judicious 
burning at the cooler season, together with the effect 
of regular dews, is certain to produce fresh forage 
during thedryermonths. An almost endless variety 
of perennial nutritious grasses, allied to Indian spe- 
cies, or even identical with them, are known to exist. 
The basaltic downs of the north and north-west pro- 
duce almost precisely the same vegetation which has 
rendered Darling and Peak Downs so famed in the 
east. This almost absolute identity of plants is a suf- 
ficient indication of great semblance of climate, for 
which the rise of the country, though one not very 
considerable, to some extent may account. On the 
ranges which divide the waters of the east coast from 
those of Carpentaria the vine luxuriates; its fruit, 
indeed, suffers occasionally from frost. 
How far the tract south of the more littoral north- 
ern country may continue to bear prevailingly the 
features of fertility cannot be predicated. There can 
be no greater fallacy than to prejudge an untraversed 
country—a fallacy to which explorers are prone, and 
which, in some instances, has retarded advancement 
of geographical discoveries and of new locations of 
permanent abodes, while, in other instances, it has 
led to disastrous consequences, A country should be 
