A VOYAGE TO {South Coast. 
purposes. Amongst the plants collected by Mr. Brown and his 
associates, was a small one of a novel kind, which we commonly 
called the pitcher plant. Around the root leaves are several little 
vases lined with spiny hairs, and these were generally found to con- 
tain a sweetish water, and also a number of dead ants. It cannot be 
asserted that the ants were attracted by the water, and prevented by 
the spiny hairs from making their escape ; but it seemed not impro- 
bable, that this was a contrivance of nature to obtain the means 
necessary either to the nourishment or preservation of the plant. 
Amongst the animal productions, the kanguroo and cassowary 
hold the first ranks. The kanguroo appeared to be numerous, and 
of more than one species ; but none were caught. Three of them 
seen by me bore a resemblance to the large kind which inhabits the 
forests at Port Jackson ; and the cassowary showed nothing distin- 
guishable at a distance from the same animal at that place : both 
were shy ; as were the ducks, swans, and all the birds. 
Near Point Possession were found two nests of extraordinary 
magnitude. They were built upon the ground, from which they 
rose above two feet; and were of vast circumference and great 
interior capacity, the branches of trees and other matter, of which 
each nest was composed, being enough to fill a small cart. Captain 
Cook (see Hawkesworth, Vol. III. p. 195) found one of these enor- 
mous nests upon Eagle Island, on the East Coast; and if the magni- 
tude of the constructor be proportionate to the size of the nest, 
Terra Australis must be inhabited by a species of bird, little inferior 
to the condor of the Andes. 
Amongst the reptiles was a variety of lizards ; one of which, 
of the larger size, was met with by Dampier on the West Coast, and 
is described by him " as a sort of guano, but differing from others 
" in three remarkable particulars : for these had a larger and uglier 
" head, and had no tail : And at the rump, instead of the tail there, 
" they had a stump of a tail, which appeared like another head ; but 
" not really such, being without mouth or eyes : Yet this creature 
