the burning off of the scrub. Abundance of red resin, capable of being used in the manufacture of sealing wax and French-polish, is exuded by them. This substance fills up the places left by the decay of the flower-stems of former years, and by injuries; it is also lodged abundantly around the base of the trunk, which is thus defended from an excess of moisture. The blanched base of the leaves, which our swarthy companion obtained for us, by beating off the head of a Grass-tree that had not thrown up a flower-stem, is pleasant eating, and has a nutty flavour. A species of Isopogon occurs on these plains. This is probably the most southern locality of the genus.
The Grass-tree plains, which are represented in the accompanying etching, are separated from the west coast, by a range of granite hills, covered with Common and Blue Gumtrees, Oyster Bay Pine, &c.
The low ground about the Settlement, is clothed with long grass, and with Leucopogon Gnidium and Fabricia myrtifolia, handsome, white-flowered shrubs, here attaining to 20 feet high, and with a few bushy species of Acacia, &c. These are decorated by the lovely climbers Clematis aristata and Comesperma volubilis; the former of delicate white and the latter of lively blue.
6th. We visited Prime Seal Island, distant about eight miles. This also is a granite island. Black fibrous Schorl, here called Jet, is imbedded in the rock, in the cavities of which, large crystals are also met with.—In the low part of the Island, there were patches of an unrecorded species of Lasiopetulum, with purple flowers. Croton rosmarinifolium, a pretty, privet-like bush, forms thickets, both here and on Flinders, where it is also interspersed with She-oak.—The Wallaby abounds here. Several were killed by the natives who accompanied us. Some of these people only eat the male animals, others only the females. We were unable to learn the reason of this, but they so strictly adhere to the practice, that it is said, hunger will not drive them to deviate from it. This island did not prove favourable for sheep, It was formerly the resort of vast herds of Fur Seals; but they have nearly forsaken both it and many of
