INDEX 



339 



Phormium ienax. See New Zealand 

 flax 



Physeter macrocephalus, 1 19 



Pied-goose, crow-like appearance, 76 ; 

 beak and feet abnormal, 76 ; perches 

 on trees, 76 ; notes raven-like, 76 ; 

 flock of, defend themselves from 

 hawks, 76 



Pigeon, small brown, near Fitzmaurice 

 River, 246. See Dove 



Pilot-fish, always two with shark, 203- 

 204 ; depicted by native draughts- 

 men, 204 ; never goes in shoals, 204 ; 

 never accompany basking-shark, 204 



Piping-crow, white-backed, 32 ; black- 

 backed, 32 ; harmless and amusing 

 birds, 34 ; go in small flocks, 32 ; 

 mocking-birds, 32 ; food, habits, and 

 nests, 33 



Platycoreus eximius^ 214 



Platypus. See Duck-bill 



Plesiops tileekeri^ 315 



Plovers, various on Westralian coasts, 

 216 ; grey a common bird in West- 

 ralia, 217 ; found on some of most 

 barren plains, 217 ; nests and eggs 

 of, 217 



Podocarpus asplenifolia^ 96 



Point Dover, a cliff in Australian Bight 

 600 feet high, 120 



Polyommatus phleas^ 83 



Port Augusta, a thriving but uninterest- 

 ing place, loi ; enormous grain store, 

 loi 



Potorous tridaciylus^ 38. See Rat- 

 kangaroo 



Pouched-mouse, two species very abun- 

 dant on Alps. 60 ; habits vary with 

 locality, 60 ; omnivorous, 60 ; timid 

 and nocturnal, 60 ; breeding habits, 

 60 ; caught in traps like mice, 60 



Poverty in Australia, 140 ; capital 

 necessary to prosperity, 140 



Prospecting and squatting, trials and 

 dangers of, 259-260 



Piettodes erunice^ 155 



Pteropus poliocephalus. See Fruit-bat 



Pyrameis cardui, 83 



" Pyrenees," part of Alps range, 67 



Python, 202. See Diamond-snake 



Quail, courageous fight with ground 

 paroquets, 52 ; found at head of 

 Australian Bight, 1 17 

 Quail, painted. See Painted quail 

 Queensland, a characteristically Aus- 

 tralian country, 258 ; position under 

 Capricorn the cause of great floral 



luxuriance, 258 ; dense forests of, 

 many burnt, 258 ; curious botanical 

 productions of, 263 ; snakes very 

 abundant, 264 ; mountains very high, 

 277 ; Bellenden Ker exceeds 5000 

 feet, 277 ; lovely fern-gullies, 277 



Rabbit, 6 ; pest of, 6 ; billions in 

 Riverine, 30 ; native beasts and birds 

 of prey do not destroy it, 60, 61 ; about 

 Spencer's Gulf, 105 ; wire netting to 

 prevent spread of, a failure, 261 ; 

 drastic penalties for letting loose, 261 



Rain, in Riverine district, 19-20 ; re- 

 markable effects of, 25 ; speedily 

 absorbed, 43 ; in mallee-scrub desert, 

 99 ; drenching showers in Lake 

 Torrens district, 112 ; effect of a 

 single shower in desert, 117-118 ; at 

 sea off the Australian Bight, 128-129 ; 

 frequent and heavy at King George's 

 Sound, 149 ; in Swan River district, 

 156 ; coast rains do not travel into 

 the interior, 157 ; violent storm of, 

 165 ; in central desert a fall of 2 

 or 3 inches dries up in four or five 

 hours, 173 ; deHghtful odour caused 

 by, 183 ; cold, drizzling in desert, 

 190 ; at Port Darwin 60 or 70 inches, 

 226 ; heavy in desert. Port Darwin 

 district, 234, 235, 236 



Rats and mice, ground in Swan River 

 desert over-run with, 185-186 ; 

 brown-footed, 185 ; Jumping, jungles 

 swarm with, 186; Queensland, 186; 

 at Rat Island, Abrolhos, 206 ; feed on 

 molluscs, 206 ; not marsupials, 220 ; 

 ground honey-combed with burrows, 

 220 ; brown and black agree in Port 

 Darwin district, and on board ships, 

 229 ; how country stocked with, 229 ; 

 Queensland, at Port Darwin, 229 



Rasper, the common knife-jaw, 313; 

 shoals of, on Barrier Reef, 313 ; de- 

 structive to pearl-oyster, 313 



Rat - kangaroos, brush -tailed found 

 everywhere on east and south coasts, 

 151 ; do not come forth till dusk, and 

 all very timid, 151 ; are gregarious, 

 151 ; and breed but once a year, 

 151-152; run and walk differently 

 from kangaroos, 152 ; live in colonies, 

 186 ; description of, 186 



Reeds, miles of country covered with, 

 in western desert, 192 ; in river-beds, 

 193 ; 20 feet high at Port Darwin, 

 228 ; marsh covered with, 250 



Relics of explorers, at Port JDarwin, 225 



