28 
NATURE NOTES 
life found in the colony is the dugong, or sea cow, which 
grows to ten feet in length, living under the water in the bays 
upon sea grasses. The flesh when cured is very palatable. 
There are no noxious animals in Queensland, and the snakes of 
the colony are of a retiring disposition. The salt-water and 
river fish are very numerous, and three hundred known species 
are suitable for food. The giant groper, weighing a quarter of 
a ton, the schnapper barramundi, garfish, are amongst the best 
known and liked. One Queensland fish, the ceratodus, is some- 
thing of an amphibian, for it is enabled, by having a lung 
capable of breathing atmospheric air, to take its walks abroad 
when it wants a change. Queensland is rich in insect life ; one 
soon gets accustomed to the mosquito, and the ants perform 
excellent service as scavengers. 
In bird-life Queensland is well off. The cassowary and emu 
are still roaming through the ranges of the north ; the parrot 
and cockatoo scream in the trees, and the laughing jackass, the 
friend of man, selects a convenient roof wherefrom to make 
his curious song. Queensland has birds which construct bowers 
to play in, and birds which build mounds in which to bury their 
eggs for the heat to hatch. The lagoons furnish good sport. 
The trees and plants of Queensland are so numerous and so 
valuable for commercial and social purposes, that the services 
of a gentleman have to be retained as a“ Colonial Botanist ” to 
classify the different kinds. First and foremost come the rich 
natural pastures of the colony, which have great fattening 
properties and astonishing vitality in resisting dry weather ; 
a few showers of rain will convert a burnt-up plain to a prairie 
smiling with verdure. 
The gum-tree is found all over Queensland, and its wmod 
is used for many purposes. Plenty of timber for building and 
fencing purposes is available throughout the colony, and some 
of the most valuable sorts are exported to other countries. The 
wild flowers of Queensland, very different to the prim blossom 
of an English hedgerow or meadow, are beautiful indeed. The 
lagoons are covered with immense lilies ; the downs are in good 
seasons ablaze with many-hued flowers, and in the north 
flower-forms of curious shape and sparkling hue are met with. 
One of the commonest plants in the bush, the wattle (an acacia), 
has a delicate blossom, the perfume from which pervades wdiole 
districts. People who have lived in the bush and breathed the 
wattle-scented air can never forget the perfume. Grape vines 
grow well in the colony, and in many districts are cultivated 
systematically to produce wine. 
