984 



AUSTRALIA, OE AUSTRALASIA. 



CHAPTER CLVL AUSTRALIA, OR AUSTRALASIA 



Kew Holland. 



1. Extent. Australia comprises the islands lying round New Holland, and situated between 

 1° N. and 45° S. lat., and between 110° and 180° E. long., with the exception of those al- 

 ready described as belonging to Malaysia on the northwest, and the group of New Zealand on 

 the southwest. These limits include JS'eio Holland with Van Diemen^s Land ; Papua or JVew 

 Guinea with the Louisiade ; JVew Britain, J^eio Ireland, and the neighboring islands ; Solo- 

 mon's Islands ; JYew Hebrides ; J^eio Caledonia ; and the Feejee Islands. 



2. Straits and Seas. Torres''s Straits on the north, and Basses Straits on the south, sepa- 

 rate New Holland from New Guinea and Van Diemen's Land. Dampieris Straits are be- 

 tween New Guinea and New Britain, and St. George's Channel between the latter and New 

 Ireland. 



3. Animals. Except dogs, rats, and on some of the islands hogs, nearly all the quadrupeds 

 of this part of the world are of the marsupial or opossum tribe, having the hinder legs very 

 long, and a sack or pouch under the belly, in which the young take refuge. The platypus or 

 ornithorhynchus presents the singular spectacle of a quadruped, covered with fur, laying eggs, 

 and having the bill of a duck, and spurs armed with a poisonous fluid ; it is a little anima. 

 about a foot long. The echidna or spinous ant-eater is another singular creature nearly alliea 

 to the former The birds are no less singular than the beasts, there being black swans, ana 



white eagles ; the beautiful little birds of par- 

 adise, and the tall emeu, also inhabit these 

 regions. 



4. JVcio Holland. This large island, or 

 more properly continent, is but imperfectly 

 known. It extends from 11° to 39° S.lat., 

 and from 113° to 153^ E. long., being about 

 1,500 miles in breadth from north to south, 

 and 2,600 in length from east to west, and 

 having an area of about 3,000,000 square 

 miles. Of this vast extent we are acquaint- 

 ed only with the coasts, excepting that some 

 exploring parties have penetrated several 

 hundred miles inland from the eastern shore, 

 and to a still less distance on the western. A 

 range of high mountains extends parallel to 

 the eastern coast about 50 or 60 miles from 

 the sea. From their western declivities several large rivers descend, but they appear to be 

 mostly branches of one great stream, which enters the sea on the southern coast under the 

 name of the river Murray. The English claim the whole continent, and have formed 3 colo- 

 nies, JS^ew South Wales on the east, Swan River or Western Australia on the west, and South 

 em Australia on the south coast 



Black Swan. 



