100 
Lectures on the Geology, Botany, fyc., of the 
The stems and tubers which the natives pounded were very good 
indeed. The thick root of a little bean with yellow blossoms, and 
those of a convolvulus on the plains of the Albert, were found in a 
camp of natives; and the “ imberbi,” perhaps the root of the same 
convolvulus, formed the principal part of the repast of Nywall s 
tribe, near the East Alligator River. But the finest and most 
substantial food was the allamur, or murruatt, the mealy rhizoma, 
or subterranean stem of a sedge, which the natives of the Alli¬ 
gator Rivers and of the Coburg Peninsula obtained in large 
quantities. 
Amongst the fruits I have to mention a small lemon, which 
had an acidulous taste, and abounded in the scrubs of Expedition 
Range and Comet River. 
The seeds of the dwarf kouradjong (grewia) yielded, when 
boiled for a long time, an agreeable acidulous drink. 
Those of sterculia heterophylla (the kooremin), and of the rose- 
coloured sterculia, round the gulf, made, when slightly roasted, 
a fine coffee, and the remaining grounds were good to eat. 
The spongy wood of the bottle tree (another species of ster¬ 
culia) contained a cellular mealy substance between its fibres, 
which, when chewed, satisfied the cravings of hunger. 
The seeds of the Mackenzie bean, so called from being found 
first and most abundantly in the sandy bed of that river, formed 
a good substitute for coffee. Those of nelumbium were however 
much finer, and the remaining grounds were agreeable to eat and 
wholesome. The seeds of the vine-bean of the Roper (a species 
of mucuna?) when pounded and boiled for a long time formed 
a very satisfying meal. 
Several species of capparis, either shrubs or small trees, had 
edible fruits, which when perfectly ripe we enjoyed greatly, as 
they contained a sweet pulpy substance, in which the seeds were 
imbedded. The latter were however very pungent. 
At the Isaacks a little tree with coriaceous leaves bore a small 
oblong fruit, having a surrounding calyx like a little acorn, with 
a thin but sweet rind. The abundance of this fruit made up for 
the scantiness of its edible parts. It was much sought after by 
crows and cockatoos. 
