OF VAN DIEMAN's LAND. 503 



and from whom I still hope to receive some vahiable infor- 

 mation upon subjects slightly touched upon in his interesting- 

 communication. Yours, &c. 



William Swainson. 



Tyttenhanger Green, St. Alhana, 

 \bih Nov. 1831. 



" The southern half of the island of Van Dieman, in its 

 natural state, is a continued series of hill and dale, covered 

 with what is here called hush ; so that very little level or clear 

 land is to be seen. These hills, moreover, are generally well 

 rounded, and so much alike, that the scene wants variety; 

 besides which, the foliage is invariably of a very sombre hue, 

 approaching nearly to black : this dark colour is to be attributed 

 to the trees, in general, being evergreens, and but few of them 

 have a much lighter shade, even in their spring-shoots. The 

 ' bush ' varies a good deal in its character in diiferent parts ; 

 the most beautiful is when the trees and shrubs are so 

 scattered on hilly ground, as to leave the appearance of a 

 park. 



" In other parts the wildness of the scene (the same that it has 

 been for ages) though cheerless to the settler, is interesting to 

 one unaccustomed to see an inch of ground unoccupied ; and this 

 wildness is much added to, by the great quantity of old de- 

 cayed timber^ which is lying about in all directions, completely 

 bleached, and assuming all sorts of shapes. In other parts, 

 the bush resembles an old ragged forest thickly timbered with 

 decayed trees. In a wild country like this, for the most part 

 in a natural state, we should expect to meet with trees in the 

 greatest beauty, luxuriating in their natural soil, and gi'owing as 

 if complete lords of the creation ; at least, such was what I was 

 led to expect ; and I was therefore disappointed and astonished 

 to find that frequently, for many acres together, it would be 

 difficult to find a sound and perfect tree more than ten or 

 fifteen years old. They are generally hollow, ragged, and un- 

 healthy in appearance, while I have seen patches from one to 

 two miles long and perhaps half a mile wide, full of trees 

 standing, but completely dead and white. This is a strange 

 mortality, which has occurred chiefly within the last eight 



1 Surely tliis " old decayed timber" must contain Coleopterous insects. 



