34 On the Weir Mattee, 



dolle's Prodromus, as the " Hakea Stricta," but the quantity 

 produced therefrom is so small as to render it, comparatively 

 speaking, worthless ; in fact, the root must be sucked to 

 obtain any moisture at all, which, as already described, is not 

 thecase with the "Weir Mallee." 



Many explorers have been much surprised to find natives ex- 

 isting where there was apparently no water to be found, either 

 in roots or otherwise; but their surprise has been changed into 

 admiration at another wonderful provision of nature, in the 

 " murn," so called by the natives, but " mallee oak," by the 

 whites. This tree is very like the " she oak," but with bark 

 less rough and more silvery in color. The wood is very hard, 

 like lancewood, and capable of taking a fine polish. When 

 the trunk attains a diameter of about six inches, it becomes 

 pipy, thus forming a natural reservoir, into which the rains 

 of the wet season are collected — the branches of the tree, 

 which join at the top of the stem, acting as conducting pipes. 

 The narrow aperture prevents much evaporation, and the na- 

 tives know how to obtain water here, where an inexperienced 

 traveller would never dream of searching for it. To procure 

 this water, the native ties a bunch of grass to the end of his 

 spear, and then climbing the tree, dips his primitive piston 

 rod — if I may so call it — into this singular well. Drawing it 

 up again, he squeezes the water from the grass into his bark 

 dish, and thus proceeds until he obtains sufficient for his pre- 

 sent requirements. 



At our last meeting, Mr. Blandowski made some very in- 

 teresting remarks, throwing considerable light on the subject 

 of the nature of the soil on which the water-yielding mallee 

 is generally found, and had I not been much pressed for time, 

 I should have taken the liberty to apply to him for a few par- 

 ticulars on that point, which would have been a valuable 

 addition to this paper. 



The kumpung, or bulrush, which I exhibit, was brought be- 

 fore the notice of this Institute some time ago, by Mr. Blan- 

 dowski, and I merely call attention to it under an impres- 

 sion that it might be advantageously brought into use as an 

 article of export, capable of being manufactured at home 

 into fabrics, where strength of material is required. It grows 

 in considerable quantities in vast beds, extending over miles 

 of country, and much of it being on the banks of the Murray, 

 its shipment would be easy. 



Mr. Peter Beveridge informs me that the "kumpung 

 springs up from the root, through the water, about the end of 



