174 



AUSTRALIA 



Thornwood. In the rear of this first belt, from the 

 south of the Gulf of Carpentaria to Victoria River on 

 the west, stretches a somewhat hilly zone of very light 

 tropical woods casting their foliage during the dry 

 period and resembling the caatinga of the Brazilian 

 sertao or the rain -green woods of the East African 



FIG. 57. Mean Annual Rainfall of Australia, in inches. 



plateaus. Acacias play here quite a predominant part, 

 with eucalypti of moderate height, melaleucas and the 

 Australian tea-trees. 



Tropical Savana. The light rain-green woods of the 

 north thin out farther inland ; the precipitations also 

 fall below an annual 40 inches and display great fluctua- 

 tions from year to year. Then comes the savana, 



