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.
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