Macquarie Harbour . 
117 
generally known; but we can vouch from experience 
that a young wombat, stuffed and roasted whole in the 
same manner as a sucking pig, makes a most delicious 
dish. Fresh-water eels, of immense size, are abun¬ 
dant; the soldiers often went out for the sole pur¬ 
pose of getting a supply of these fish : a fire was lighted 
at night on the edge of a lagoon or river; this attracted 
the fish, who eagerly took the bait, worms or grubs. 
The produce of one night’s fishing has sometimes 
been as much as two men could carry across a pole. 
The Echidna often formed a favourite dish on the 
tables of the officers ; and when properly stuffed 
with sage and onions, and roasted, has all the flavour 
of a goose. There were no shells of any value found 
near Macquarie Harbour, but an enormous-sized crab 
was often met with, the first joint of one of the 
claws measuring sometimes nine inches in length. Some 
very beautiful pebbles were picked up amongst the sand 
on the beaches, some of an amber colour, others of a 
light green resembling aquamarine. Some very hand¬ 
some crystals were almost invariably discovered when 
the earth was dug on the Settlement. There are strong 
reasons to suppose that the mountains in the vicinity 
contain metals, but there was no person on the Settle¬ 
ment who understood how to search for them. Amongst 
the plants found at Macquarie Harbour is the Pohjgonium 
adpressum , or Macquarie' Harbour vine : it has been 
found in other parts, but not of such luxurious growth. 
This elegant and useful creeper or climber is seen to 
cover large patches of ground on the banks of the rivers, 
and of the harbour. Its leaves at full growth will mea¬ 
sure six inches in length, and are of a rich green colour; 
the blossom is white, and produces a fruit of a sub-acid 
taste, excellent for tarts and preserves. The fruit grows 
ln hunches, much in the same manner as grapes : each 
