WILD LIFE IN TASMANIA. 
165 
number of holes which have been sunk by the prospectors (gold 
seekers), and those in search of other minerals ; some of these 
are quite shallow, but we have come upon them twenty to thirty 
feet in depth, and grown over with young scrub so that the 
mouth is quite concealed, and the only indication of danger is 
the heap of sand and gravel, also grown over with native 
vegetation, which lies close to the brink of the pit. It must not 
be supposed, because the soil is poor, that these plains are 
therefore comparatively barren wastes. On the contrary, they 
possess a very abundant fauna and flora, differing greatly, as 
may be imagined, from that of the heavy forest lands. They 
may be fairly said to teem with life, both animal and vegetable, 
and have proved to be a truly happy hunting ground for the 
naturalist. 
To begin with, the lordly kangaroo is occasionally met with, 
his majesty (for he may justly be termed the Australian king 
of beasts) preferring the open faountry to the dense bush, and 
finding the vegetation here more suitable to his palate. The 
heavy, clumsy-looking wombat also prefers to scrape out his 
roomy burrow about the edge of the plains, and the bandicoot 
(somewhat resembling a miniature kangaroo) rambles over them 
by night, digging here and there when his instinct tells him that 
some luscious morsel lies concealed beneath the surface. The 
wallaby (first cousin to the kangaroo) also browses here during 
the hours of darkness, when he has nothing better on hand, but 
his delight is in the tender grass of the settler. A paddock also 
of the young and succulent oat he will not despise. He roams 
at night with his relatives (for the wallaby is fond of society) 
over the badly-fenced domains of the “cockatoo” farmer, and 
the forage consumed by these dark-coated intruders would fatten 
a flock of sheep. 
Of birds, hawks of various species greatl}^ affect our open 
domain, and honeyeaters may be heard warbling in the pepper- 
mints ; the tree-swallow may be seen taking his graceful sailing 
flight from gum to gum, and the vivid scarlet breast of the 
beautiful little robin gives a touch of colour to our rather sombre 
landscape. 
Reptiles of course abound, the warm sandy soil being just 
the medium in which to take the sun-baths which seem to them 
so essential. Snakes, those of the black and tiger species, often 
attain a great size ; iguanas, bloodsuckers, death-adders, and 
other delightful creatures are frequently encountered. The 
three last-named are all lizards, the iguana being the stump- 
tailed lizard, which grows to a considerable size, and is of very 
sluggish habits, often lying across the track and allowing one to 
step over it without exhibiting any intention of moving. The 
bloodsucker is a very lively creature, and may be often seen 
in the bush garden on the watch for insects. He has an enor- 
mous mouth, which he opens wide in a threatening manner 
when an attempt is made to catch him, but his tiny teeth can 
