108 EAGLE ISLAND. 



varying- from coarse quartzose sand (from the disin- 

 tegrated granite) to reddish clay — is not favourable 

 to the g'rowth of luxuriant veg-etation, still several 

 interesting- plants were added to the herbarium. Of 

 these the finest is a new CocJilospcrmum, a low 

 spreading tree, nearly leafless at this time, but 

 covered with clusters of very large and showy golden 

 blossoms. A heath-hke shrub, (Chamcelauchim) 

 common here, was remarkable for existing on the 

 open plains as a weak prostrate plant, while in the 

 scrub it formed a handsome bush 10 feet high, with 

 a stem 6 inches in diameter. 



Of quail, which in 1844 were very abundant, I 

 saw not more than one or two, — probably the burn- 

 ing of the gTass during the breeding season had 

 effected this partial clearance. Snakes appear to 

 be numerous. — two out of three which I examined 

 were poisonous — the other was the diamond snake 

 of New South Wales. A very fine land shell, 

 Helix bipartita, was found in colonies at the roots 

 of the trees and bushes. A large and handsome 

 cowrie, Cypraa Mauritiana, generally distributed 

 among the islands of the Pacific, was here found for 

 the first time in Australia. 



Aug. 1st. — I crossed over to Eagle Island with 

 Mr. Brown, and spent a day and night there. This 

 place was so named by Cook, who states in explana- 

 tion of the name, — "We found here the nest of 

 some other bird, we knew not what, of a most 

 enormous size. It Avas built with sticks upon the 



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