THE GEKUS EUCALYPTUS. 245 



" Bed Mahogany" \ (5.) E. capitella, the stunted variety of 

 " Stringy Bark" growing near the sea-side ; and (6.) E. saligna, 

 a " Grey" or " Flooded Gum" with rather a drooping habit. 

 The second section comprises, (1.) E. lotryoides, or the " Bastard 

 Mahogany"; (2.) E. hcemastoma, or the "White Grum," some 

 forms of which are remarkable for the broad red margin of the 

 seed-vessel ; (3.) E. piperita, or the " Peppermint" ; (4.) E. 

 obi i qua, or the " Stringy Bark," not specifically distinct from 

 E. capitella ; (5.) E. cori/mlosa, or " Bloodwood" ; and (6.) E, 

 paniculata, or the " Pale or White Iron Bark." Specimens of 

 these trees were first taken to Europe by Dr. White (the author 

 of "AVhite's Voyage to New South Wales,") and others who 

 visited Port Jackson shortly after the foundation of the colony, 

 and the descriptions are intimately connected with, our early 

 history, as being intended to make known in Europe the species 

 which formerly grew where Sydney now stands. The same 

 species, notwithstanding the havoc that has been committed 

 amongst our Eucalypti, may still be found within a few miles of 

 our capital. In the early days of the colony, it was too much 

 the practice to clear and burn off indiscriminately, and that not 

 merely in the immediate vicinity of Sydney, but on most" of the 

 grants of land on which Europeans settled. It was the custom 

 to employ gangs of prisoners on this work, and farms may be 

 seen in the county of Cumberland, on which scarcely a tree has 

 been left. I have heard some of the older settlers lament the 

 destruction of the gum trees, and express an opinion that many 

 of the Eucalypti which were destroyed so inconsiderately in the 

 process of clearing the ground, should have been preserved, or 

 at all events, those kinds which are adapted for the purposes of 

 building. As railroads extend into the country, facilities will be 

 afforded for the transmission of timber to Sydney, and settlers 

 will see the policy of saving the most valued of their trees, not 

 merely for affording a shelter for their cattle from the scorching rays 

 of the sun, but in the hope of realizing a good price for those woods 

 which are becoming scarce near the metropolis. The genus, in- 

 deed, is one of immense interest, not only to the systematic 

 Botanist, who is aiming at the best method of distinguishing the 

 species, but to the practical man who desires to turn our noble 

 forests to the most profitable account. It is only of late years 



