26 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
VoL. 2 
cornis), niailee [E. oleosa), jam wattle [Acacia aciimincda), 
sandalwood [sayitahim cygnorum), and various smaller trees 
and shrubs, conspicuous among them being the W. A. quandoiig 
with its large briglit red fruits, also species of casuarina. 
Tlie gimlet wood is a remarkable gum tree, fairly straight, 
but looking as if longitudinal gashes, over which the bark had 
grown, had been cut out all round its stem with some sharp, 
round-edged chisel or adze. The salmon gum is a handsome 
tree. The sand plain country is much more interesting and 
beautiful, however, than the forest, and abounds with 
numerous fine flowering plants and shrubs. It is the flowering 
plants of these sand plains which attract many fine insects 
in Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, Orthoptera, etc. 
The flora of West Australia is exceedingly rich, and 
the flowers of even the trees very showy. The gums [E. 
ficijoiia, with large crimson flowers, and another with pink), 
are almost as florally brilliant as the poinciana, whilst the 
Christmas tree [Nuytsia florihunda) is unsurpassed in its 
glowing orange splendour. Blue flowers, so rare in our 
gardens, are of many kinds, and no blue can outvie the 
Leschenaultia (Goodeniaceae), especially when contrasted 
with the golden yellow Hibbertia. The kangaroo paw 
(Anigozantkus manglesi), with its metallic green and rich 
crimson, is strangely beautiful, as are all the flowers of the 
various species in this genus. The everlastings (Helipterum, 
Helichrysimi, Cephalipterum, etc.) may be dried in a dark 
place, and so stored up to retain their hues much as insects 
are. The sun-dews [Drosera) are not the puny flowers we 
are accustomed to, and the ground orchids [Thelymitra 
Caladenia, etc.) are all fine flowering plants. In the Amaran- 
taceae, Ptilotus far surpasses in its splendid colour any of our 
related garden flowers. The whole country away from the 
townships is marvellously beautiful. The ferns of West 
Australia are, however, very few and very poor, but this 
is amply compensated by the variety and beauty of the foliage 
of great numbers of small shrubs and delicate plants, so that 
they are scarcely missed. Another feature of the forests, 
especially the coastal region, is the abundance of grass trees 
[XauihorrJuea and Kingia), and of the Zamia [Encephalartos) , 
also honey-suckle (Banksia), notabl}' a red-flowered species, 
and prickly Hakea, wliose flowers are attractive to many 
insects. The limestone country betv^een Capes Naturaliste 
and Leeuwin appears to have many plants and shrubs peculiar 
to it, and occurring in dense thickets along the coast. It 
is in this tract that verv numerous and remarkable caves 
exist. I twice visited tliis district, on the first occasion 
going down the Yallingup Cave between Capes Clairault 
and Naturaliste. So far as explored, it descends about 150 
