46 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



The situation is excellent, as it commands the whole channel. 

 Cowes itself is a pretty little scattered town at the extreme north 

 of Phillip Island. 



Here we were met by Mr. Denne, who drove us over to his 

 place near Rhyll. The road lies over an undulating country 

 fairly covered with White Gums, Box trees, and clumps of Ti-tree. 

 Just out of Cowes we noticed the remains of a magnificent Bank- 

 sia, Banksia marginata. It must have been a fine sight before 

 the late hot weather finished it — or, rather, them, for we could see 

 several more down towards the sea, but they were all dead. Mr. 

 Denne's farm is fully five miles from Cowes, situated on the coast 

 of a deep gulf or bight. Deep does not refer to the water, for its 

 depth entirely depends upon the tide. When the tide is in the 

 bight presents a noble appearance, both from its size and the 

 beautiful wooded banks which enclose it, but when the tide is out 

 it consists of a series of mud flats separated by channels. The 

 margin of Mangrove bushes and the fact that the mud flats are 

 completely covered with sea grass improve it immensely, but its 

 beauty has departed for the time. The Mangrove bushes are 

 from three to six feet high ; the leaves are ovoid, pointed and 

 serrated, moreover they are so succulent as to be of great value to 

 the settlers, for both cattle and horses devour them greedily. 

 They thrive in soft black mud so close to shore that they 

 are never more than two or three hours at a time sur- 

 rounded by water. The grass weed forms the favourite food 

 of the Black Swans, Chenopis atrata ; they eat only the roots, 

 which they pull up at low tide, consequently the whole surface 

 of this part of Western Port is covered with floating grass. After 

 dinner we strolled round the shore of the bight. We noticed 

 that, besides the deep margin of Mangroves (loo to 200 feet 

 wide) there was an inner margin of low Saltbush, then a sward 

 of native grass, and lastly a thick bush of Wattle, Casuarinas, 

 small White Gums, &c. In many places the smaller trees were 

 deeply grooved by spiral twiners of Tecoma and Clematis. 

 Further on we came to grassy park-like land with small clumps 

 of Ti-tree and isolated White Gums. We stopped for some time 

 admiring the antics of some Magpie Larks, Grallina picaia, at a 

 waterhole. They would make a little rush into the water, flutter 

 for a moment, then out on to a stick or stone and prink them- 

 selves down ; they took not the slightest notice of us, although 

 we were only a few yards from them ; occasionally they would 

 make a slight harsh note, but were generally quite silent, just 

 rushing in and out of the water. These birds are truly named 

 the bushm'an's friend, as their presence is a sure indication 

 of water being near at hand. After tea we went for a short pull 

 on the bay, but found the wind rather boisterous. The tide was 

 full in, and the blue sky sparsely covered with fleecy clouds. 



