332 HISTORY OF 



ed, which method was afterwards practised, on 

 procuring some ripe ones. The taste though 

 pleasant at first, left an astringency behind, that 

 by no means tempted a second trial. The eat- 

 able part of the nut was so small, as not to be 

 worth sucking out from the fibres. Their size 

 was that of a walnut ; within the outer skin was 

 •a hard shell like that of the cocca nut ; and with- 

 in this, two, or more almond- like kernels. The 

 nut, when taken from the tree, was an assem- 

 blage of these kernels set into a cone, varying, 

 in the size of a man's fist, to that of a melon. 

 The size, and indentations on the surface, on a 

 first view looked much like the outward form 

 of the bread-fruit. The stem of the tree wm 

 short, and none were observed to be eighteer 

 inches in diameter. The branches did not ra- 

 mify into twigs, but preserved their size to th< 

 extreme, where the leaves were produced sur 

 rounding the fruit. One or two smaller branche : 

 struck off from the main branch, and pro 

 duced their leaves in the same way, without fruit 

 The height of the tree altogether might be fron 

 fifteen to twenty-five feet. Suckers or branche 

 of all sizes were seen shooting out below thos 

 bearing fruit, growing downwards along th 

 stem, which entered the ground and forme 

 roots, as well as supporters to the tree. 



This bay not appearing to deserve a paticuk 

 examination, Lieut. Flinders got underweight 

 one o'clock in the afternoon of the 12th. 



On Saturday the 13th, at ten in the morning 

 they were three miles from Cape Bryon, and tl 



