Exocarpus Latifolius Is So Different From E. Cupressiformis, In Its
Foliage And Aspect, That I Did Not Suspect Their Near Relation, Until I
Found Blossom And Fruit:
The ripe kernel as well as its yellow succulent
leaf-stalk have a very agreeable taste; a leguminous shrub, about five or
six feet high, with purple blossoms gathered into terminal oblong heads;
this would be an ornament to our gardens.
Along the river we discovered a
large tree, about forty or fifty feet in height, with rather singularly
disposed horizontal branches and rich dark green foliage; its leaves were
oblong acute, and frequently a foot long; its flowers formed dense heads,
which grew into a fleshy body marked with the arcoles of every flower. It
is either Sarcocephalus or Zuccarinia, or nearly allied to them. The tree
has never been seen on easterly waters, but it was the invariable
companion of all the larger freshwater rivers round the gulf. A fine
species of Gomphrena was found in the sandy bed of the river. A species
of Terminalia, a fine shady tree, with spreading branches and broad
elliptical leaves, grew along the sandy creeks; and another smaller one
with Samara fruit preferred the rocky slopes. Both of these, and a third
species growing on the west side of the gulph, which I shall have to
mention hereafter, supplied us with fine eatable gum, and a fourth
species, with smooth leaves, had an eatable fruit of a purple colour.
The view I obtained from one of the hills near our yesterday's camp was
very characteristic. The country was broken by low ranges of various
extent, formed by exceedingly rocky hills and peaks, which lifted their
rugged crests above the open forest that covered their slopes. Heaps of
rocks with clusters of trees, particularly the smooth-leaved fig tree,
the rose-coloured Sterculia, Exocarpus latifolius, were scattered over
the slopes, or grew on the summits, to which they gave the resemblance of
the lifted crest of an irritated cockatoo, particularly when huge
fantastic blocks were striking out between the vegetation. As we
travelled along, ranges of hills of this character appeared one after
another; to which wallums and wallabies fled for security as we scared
them from the river's side; the rose-breasted cockatoo (Cocatua Eos,
GOULD.) visited the patches of fresh burnt grass, in large flocks;
bustards were numerous on the small flats between basaltic hillocks,
where they fed on the ripe fruit of Grewia.
On the evening of the 27th May, we killed one of our bullocks, which had
suffered more than any of the others by the journey, in consequence of
his having carried our ammunition, which had decreased comparatively
little, and the great weight of which had raised large lumps on his ribs,
which had formed into ulcers. We were very disagreeably disappointed in
not finding sufficient fat to fry the liver, which was our favourite
dish; even the fat of the marrow had disappeared and had left a watery
tissue, which, when grilled for some time, turned into a yellow
substance, having the taste of the fried yolk of an egg.
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