Page:The new British province of South Australia.djvu/71

 52 NATURAL FEATURES OF

Page 170.—"The scientific gentlemen landed again to examine the natural productions of the Island, and in the evening eleven more kangaroos were brought on board; but most of these were smaller and seemed to be of a different species to those of the preceding day. Some of the party saw several large running birds which, according to their description, seemed to be the emu or cassowary.

"All the cliffs of Kangaroo Island seen to the west of the anchorage had the appearance of being calcareous, and the loose stones scattered over the surface of Kangaroo Head and the vicinity were of that substance; but the basis in this part seemed to be a brown slate, lying in strata nearly horizontal, and laminae of quartz were sometimes seen in the interstices. In some places the slate was split into pieces of a foot long, or more, like iron bars, and had a shining ore-like appearance; and the strata were there farther from the horizontal line than I observed them to be elsewhere.

"A thick wood covered almost all that part of the Island visible from the ship; but the trees in a vegetating state were not equal in size to the generality of those lying on the ground, nor to the dead trees standing upright. Those on the ground were so abundant, that, in ascending the higher land, a considerable part of the walk was made upon them. They lay in all directions, and were nearly of the same size, and in the same progress towards decay; whence it would seem that they had not fallen from age, nor yet been thrown down in a gale of wind. Some general conflagration, and there were marks apparently of fire on many of them, is perhaps the sole cause which can be reasonably assigned." "They were a species of eucalyptus, and being less than the fallen trees, had most probably not arrived at maturity; but the wood is hard and solid, and may thence be supposed to grow slowly."

Page 172. — "The soil of that part of Kangaroo Island