564 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION E. 
blue of the ocean and the paler blue of the sky form a fitting and 
pleasing background to the pure statuesque hills. If the traveller is 
on the beach, they are thrown up in strong relief against the dark line 
of the cliffs, and at sunrise or sunset the exquisite glory and softness 
of tint and colouring is a dream, a thing defying reproduction ; and 
one could watch for hours the strange play of light and shade. I was 
travelling here on one occasion when, owing to refraction, Mount 
Rugged and Mount Russell could be plainly seen from beneath the 
cliffs. On ordinary occasions Mount Dean — the nearest of the hills— 
alone is visible from the top of the cliffs, and 1 could see the whole 
coastline right down to Point Malcolm — a distance of nearly 00 miles — 
with Christmas and New Year Islands, and the adjacent rocks and 
isles, quite distinctly. I shall never forget the strange fascinating 
beauty of that scene. The coastline continues its north-east course, 
past Point Dover (near which Eyre’s overseer met his untimely fate) 
and Eucla to a point near Fowler’s Bay, named the Head of the 
Bight, beyond which it turns to the southward, forming the eastern 
side of the Bight. 
I must ask you now to return to Cape Paisley. Right at the back, 
or inland side of the hill, th equotvchen drops suddenly, forming a long, 
low hill or range, not unlike one bank of some of the creeks already 
mentioned, only the other bank is wanting, and there is no creek 
below. The range runs nearly north four or five miles, and then 
trends to the east when it gradually gets higher and steeper, and is 
crowned first with low stunted mallee, but the farther you proceed 
the higher and denser the mallee becomes, while limestone appears 
cropping upon the surface. At short intervals, throughout, long 
gulches are met, in one of which, abreast of Cape Paisley, the Zainia 
finds its eastern limit. Suddenly the range turns to the north again. 
From this point runs a line to Point Malcolm, and you have the eastern 
limit of the “ Blaekboys.”* In the mallee on the side and summit 
of the range will be found a good deal of “ Marlock poison.” Following 
the range on its northerly course for three or four miles the inland 
road from Israelite is crossed, when suddenly the range nearly doubles 
its height and becomes almost perpendicular on the face. Here then 
commence “The Cliffs.” They are charted as Hampton Range, but no 
one ever dreams of calling them anything else than u The Cliffs ; and 
here, as far as soil and vegetation is concerned, you must say farewell 
to West Australia. 
We have already left the creeks and swamps, the jarrah, the 
blaekboys, the palms, the cabbage-tree, and now you will find no more 
*« Marlock poison”! or other poison plants, except candyup grass ;f no 
more quowohen , no more clay or ironstone, boon, too, wo shall see 
the last of the yates, yawls , and granite, proving to the great satisfac- 
tion of my mind the strong affinity there is between botany and 
geology — that is to say, given a certain geological formation and 
there you will find a certain botanical collection. 
It is at this point where the three formations before alluded to 
meet each other, for on the road before mentioned you find the 
grey and yellow coloured clay, the coarse-grained granite so lull ot 
* Xanthorrhcta. + Gatirolobium. £ Agrostocrimm. 
