of Van Diemen's Land, 339 



orchis tribe. Tlie former greatly resembles Pteris aquilina, the 

 common fern, brake, breckon, or brackin, of England ; and, like 

 it, throws up its single stems at short distances, covering great 

 extents of light or rich land. The Van Diemen's Land plant is 

 Pteris esculenta : it is known among the aborigines by the name 

 of tara; by the same name the inhabitants of the South Sea Islands 

 call a variety of esculent seeds and roots. Pteris esculenta is 

 known among the European inhabitants of the colony by the 

 name of fern, in common with many other plants of the same 

 tribe, none of which, however, spread over extensive portions of 

 open land in the same manner. It varies in height from a few 

 inches to several feet, according to the richness of the soil 

 in which it grows, and in some parts of the colony it is so tall 

 as to conceal a man on horseback. The I'oot is not bulbous, but 

 creeps horizontally at a few inches below the surface of the earth, 

 and where it is luxuriant attains to the thickness of a man's 

 thumb. Pigs feed upon this root, M^here it has been turned up 

 by the plough, and in sandy soils they will themselves turn up 

 the earth in search of it. The aborigines roast this root in the 

 ashes, peel oiF its black skin with their teeth, and eat it to their 

 roasted kangaroo, &c., in the manner that Europeans eat bread. 

 The root of the tara fern possesses much nutritive matter ; yet 

 it is to be observed, that persons who have been reduced to the 

 use of it, in long excursions through the bush, have become very 

 weak, though it has prolonged life. Whether this arose from 

 an insufficient supply in consequence of the parties being too 

 much exhausted to dig it up before they resorted to it, or from 

 eating it raw, or from some other cause, I am not able to deter- 

 mine. It is quite certain that, when this root is grated, or reduced 

 to a pulp by beating, and mixed with cold water, a large quantity 

 of arrow root is precipitated, which adheres to the bottom of the 

 vessel, and which may easily be prepared for use by pouring off 

 the water and floating matter, adding fresh water and stirring up 

 the white powder, and again allowing it to settle. It may then 

 be cooked by boiling, or the powder may be spread on cloths 

 and dried in the sun, or hung up in linen bags where there is a 

 free circulation of air. Many vegetables yield arrow root, which, 

 when it is well prepared, cannot be distinguished from that pro- 

 duced by the Maranta c'rundinacea. It is essentially necessary, 

 from whatever it is prepared, that it be dried quickly, without 

 great heat, as too much heat renders it gluey. 



Small bulbs of the orchis tribe of plants are very generally 

 diffused over the open and thinly wooded parts of Van Diemen's 

 Land; they, also, are eaten by the aborigines, and by cockatoos, 

 bandicoots, kangaroo rats, &c. Little holes are often seen where 

 the latter animals have been scratching for them. Gastrodia 

 sesamoides, a plant of this tribe, which grows particularly from 



