AUSTRALIA. 291 



Bay heads and back, about fifteen miles out and home. In 

 some of the shallow tide-pools I collected Martensia elegans 

 (one of the pretty networks now first found here), and I also 

 picked up a Coralline and a Conferva. Most of the rocks, how- 

 ever, are quite barren. 



May 12th. Visited Mr. McLeay, the celebrated entomologist, 

 and author of what is called " the circular system," of which 

 (once upon a time) I was an admirer. He has a fine house in 

 a beautiful park of sixty acres, all within the city of Sydney. 

 He cultivates many rare trees, shrubs, and plants, and from his 

 grounds there are charming prospects. 



May 16th. Left per steamer for Newcastle, built at the 

 mouth of the Hunter river, and the great outlet of the coal 

 district in New South Wales. We arrived next morning just 

 before sunrise, a golden light suffusing the whole eastern sky, 

 and the thinnest thread of a moon that ever I saw. On the 

 strand, facing the open sea, of a small island called the Knoddy, 

 I gathered a few Algae, amongst them the rare Delisea pulchra. 

 While here I had a walk with Mr. Moore to a fern valley about 

 four miles distant from the town. Our route for almost the 

 entire way was along the seashore. Part of the track led us 

 over some hills by the margin of the cliffs, the views from 

 which were varied and beautiful — a bold coast to the south- 

 ward ; and northward a long sand beach and distant mountains. 

 The valley is a narrow wooded ravine, with a stream running 

 through it, among large rocks and blocks of stone. Trees of 

 many kinds arch over the water. The most striking objects, 

 however, were the huge masses of Asjplenium nidus, and Platy- 

 cerium Alcicorne, two most noble ferns, which fasten themselves 

 on the trunks or branches of trees, or take possession of jutting 

 rocks. Many other pretty ferns covered the soil, climbed up 

 the trees, or stuck on the faces of flat rocks. Of all I collected 

 specimens. We had heard there were twenty kinds in the 

 valley, but I don't think we found much over a dozen. Many 

 EjAjjhytical Orchidew were scattered about. None were in flower, 

 but from their abundance they must, in their season, be beautiful. 

 We saw in a tree one of the large opossums called the "Native 

 bear" He kept quietly looking at us for some time, and then 

 getting among the leaves, remained motionless while we were in 

 view. 



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