Monsoon, when the wind blows steadily off shore, and when 
all minor vegetation is wholly burnt up. Such however is 
the extreme aridity of that particular line of intei tropical 
coast, that not a single Epiphyte was observed, and but 
two ferns ; a Blechnum and a Gleichenia ; and one Palm, a 
Livistona of Mr. Brown. Of the West coast, piopeily so 
denominated, little or nothing is known ol its Orchidaceous 
vegetation. We however learn from the correspondence o 
Mr. Drummond, who has charge of the public garden at the 
Swan River colony, that many fine terrestrial species have 
been observed, in their respective seasons, in the \icimty of 
Perth and other parts of that settlement; but of what 
genera, we have yet to be informed. [This was written long 
before the publication of our Sketch of the Vegetation of Swan 
River.] 
During the voyage of the Investigator in 1802, Mr. 
Brown discovered twenty species on the south coast belong- 
ing wholly to genera frequent at Port Jackson, with the 
exception of the beautiful Epiblema — a genera closely allied 
to Forster’s Thelymitra. No Epiphyte has been seen upon 
that, generally speaking, very arid coast. 
From what I have advanced, it will readily appeal that 
the existence of Orchidaceous Epiphytes is confined to the 
eastern and perhaps to the northern shores of New South 
Wales ; and as not the semblance of one (not even Dendro- 
hium semulum, R. Br ., so frequent on the trunks of Euca- 
lyptus resinifera, and in the dry forests around Port Jackson) 
has been seen, either by myself or other travellers in the 
interior of that country, at least between the parallels of 28 . 
and .35°. , their range westerly from the actual sea coast may 
be truly said to be limited to the main chain, or dividing 
range, beyond which, moreover, in a westerly direction, 
neither Alsophila australis, nor the Corypha of Port Jack- 
son have ever been observed.* 
* The absence of arborescent Ferns and Palms in the interior on the 
western side of the Blue Mountain-ranges, is to be attributed to the want of 
shade from high lands, (those hills that are scattered on its surface being ot 
inconsiderable elevation, and generally of a sandstone rock,) and to the 
nonexistence of dense humid forests. The whole internal country traversed, 
beyond the meridian of 149 °., declining westerly to a low level region, being 
