ds of the sea-beach. The island is formed by a succession
of small hills and intervening valleys; and although the soil is very
poor, being principally a mixture of quartzose sand and a large
proportion of marine exuviae, yet this tree grows to a considerable size,
but covering the surface of the island, gives it a monotonous appearance
which is however occasionally relieved by a spreading undescribed species
of melaleuca (allied to Melaleuca armillaris, Smith) and the more elegant
pittosporum, an arborescent species, also undescribed. In fact, these
three trees constitute the timber of the island. The ground is in some
parts profusely clothed with Spinifex hirsutus, Labil., in which I
detected a new species of xerotes, a round bushy plant growing in large
bodies.

"No fresh water has ever been discovered upon this island: indeed the
loose filtering nature of the soil is not tenacious enough to retain that
element at the surface. The woods are abundantly stocked with a small
species of kangaroo of which we saw only the traces; nor did we see the
animal, on account of whose numbers and resemblance to a rat the island
received its name from Vlaming in 1619. M. Peron says that it forms a new
genus, and of a very remarkable character.* Rottnest Island does not
appear ever to have been inhabited or even visited by the natives from
the main; probably on account of the stormy nature of the weather, and
the prevalence of westerly winds, which would be quite sufficient to
deter them from venturing to sea in such fragile vessels as they
possess."**

(*Footnote. Peron volume 1 page 189.)

(**Footnote. Cunningham manuscripts.)

January 15.

On our return to the brig, we passed over a clear sandy bottom that would
have afforded better anchorage than where we had brought up; for the
vessel was not only exposed to a considerable swell but the ground was so
foul that in weighing the anchor the following morning one of the flukes
hooked a rock and broke off, besides which the cable was much rubbed.

As Swan River had been very minutely examined in Baudin's voyage by MM.
Heirisson and Baily, the former an enseigne de vaisseau, the latter a
mineralogist, an account of which is fully detailed in De Freycinet's and
Peron's respective accounts of that voyage,* without their finding
anything of sufficient importance to induce me to risk leaving the brig
at anchor off Rottnest Island for so long a time as it would necessarily
take to ad