118 THE HEAD OF THE AUSTRALIAN BIGHT 



soil, the vegetation does not reap the full benefit of it. I 

 have known as much as two or three inches of rain to fall 

 in the central desert of the west in the space of six or 

 seven hours, and evaporate and soak away so speedily 

 that the next morning it could not be discerned that any 

 moisture had blessed the land for months past. Yet these 

 sudden showers have a great effect on the grass and scrub 

 growths of the country. A single shower in the space of a 

 few days can turn a sandy desert into a green and flower 

 besprinkled meadow. But the moisture does not affect 

 the larger growths of scrubs and trees. Yet many of the 

 desert plants are remarkable for the great length of their 

 tap-roots, which descend to the water which collects in 

 most Australian plains at a short depth beneath the 

 surface. 



The spot where this first landing on the coast of the 

 Great Bight took place, I suppose to lie about mid-way 

 between the frontier post of Eucla and Dover Point ; but 

 as I was not seaman enough to take bearings, points and 

 distances can only be laid down approximately. 



The quails referred to above were of the Syncecus 

 australis species. There was nothing remarkable noted 

 about them or their habits in this district; and they 

 are only mentioned as showing the distribution of the 

 bird. 



We remained at anchor during the night and at day- 

 break continued to coast westward. The cliffs were so 

 high as to appear almost mountainous, but very little 

 verdure showed itself. Here and there were a few trees 

 and bushes ; scrub could sometimes be seen on the tops of 

 the cliffs, or descending a little way down their faces. All 

 these plants seemed to be stunted in growth, and occasion- 

 ally a dead tree stood out, weird-like, against the sky-line. 

 In most places the cliffs rose sheer from the water, and 

 nowhere was there an actual break in the line ; but 

 in a few places great falls of the rock had occurred, 

 forming gullies similar to the one at which we had 

 landed, and down these the scrub ran almost to the brink 

 of the sea. 



