THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 169 



by fleecy clouds. There is, also, a waterfall at the south end of 

 the island, fed by a lagoon at a considerable height above the sea 

 level. Many of the hollows are filled with dense scrub, and 

 graceful palms are seen above the creepers and other vegetation. 

 At other places the ground is covered with ferns, while the moun- 

 tain sides and tops are frequently bare, or covered with a very 

 short kind of herbage, with large boulders of granite showing here 

 and there, and often little rivulets trickle down the sides. The 

 island is twenty-eight miles long, but too mountainous to be made 

 much use of; a few blacks live on it, and some Europeans at the 

 south end. Several small islands were passed in the Channel, 

 which added to its picturesqueness. We saw a flock of Torres 

 Straits' Pigeons and a few White Cockatoos, and also a pair of 

 White-bellied Sea Eagles. We arrived at Cardwell during the 

 afternoon ; it is situated close to the beach, on the mainland, 

 facing the north end of Hinchinbrook Island. About two miles 

 away to the back of the town are high hills, covered with timber, 

 and dense scrub grows in the hollows. It is on the table-land, at 

 the back of these mountains, that the Tree Kangaroo is found, 

 and generally in the most thickly timbered country. Crocodiles 

 are said to be numerous here, and both the Europeans and the 

 blacks get any number of eggs in the laying season, which is in 

 December. We, unfortunately, were too early for them, but got 

 some of last year's eggs given to us. During the evening we 

 took a walk through the scrub in the neighbourhood, but found 

 the country very dry and insect life consequently very scarce. 



At daylight next morning we were out again, and found that 

 two Dugongs had been caught in the nets during the night. We 

 went to the fisherman's hut and found that he had just skinned 

 them, and the blacks were busy cutting up what he did not want 

 of their carcasses and taking it away for food. They left very 

 little, taking even the intestines, which they washed in the sea. 

 The hide of these animals is very thick and smooth outside, and 

 often has barnacles growing on it ; and the Dugong, in its efforts 

 to get these off, rubs itself against the sharp oyster-covered rocks 

 and covers itself over with deep scars. They feed on the marine 

 vegetation growing in the shallow waters near the coast, and a 

 permanent net is set in their haunts, which when they strike they 

 seem to try to push through and so become entangled and 

 caught, and if they cannot reach the surface to breathe, soon 

 drown. After being skinned, their body is boiled down for oil, 

 and a good fat animal yields about two gallons. The males have 

 short tusks, of which we were fortunate enough to obtain a pair. 

 At breakfast that morning we had Dugong steaks, but as the flesh 

 has to be eaten as fresh as possible, we found the meat rather 

 tough ; it has a peculiar taste, which one would have to get 

 accustomed to to like. During the morning we again went for a 



