features of the flora of the coast of tropical Queensland. Two species
are represented on these accommodating sands, each suffering no ill, from
imbibing salt water, each exhibiting the peculiarity whence the genus
derives its common name--the screw palm, the arrangement of the long,
narrow, prickle-edged leaves displaying in the most regular and
demonstrative style the perfect spiral. The single stem of youth
frequently deteriorates and occasionally disappears altogether,
adventitious roots, descending from various heights, forming an elaborate
and sure and ever-developing support. The huge, bright orange-tinted fruit
of the species known as Odoratissimus is highly attractive in appearance,
and to the uninitiated offers pleasing hopes and delicious expectations.
It is, however, delusive, being constituted of woody drupes in close
clusters collected into a globular head, with meagre yellow pulp at the
base of each group, the pulp having an aromatic and unsatisfactory
flavour. Each drupe contains an oblong oval kernel, pleasant to the
taste, but so trivial in size as to be hardly worth the trouble of
extraction unless there is little else to occupy attention save the pangs
of hunger. These defects do not detract from the parade of the
tree--picturesque, singular, and replete with interest to the observer of
the infinite variety of the vegetation of the tropics.

The cockatoo apple (CAREYA AUSTRALIS), which has several useful
qualities, flourishes exceedingly. The ripe fruit, green and insipid, was
wont to be eaten by the blacks, bark from the branches was twisted into
fishing-lines, that of the roots used for poisoning fish, while the
leaves, heated over the fire until the oil exuded, were applied to
bruised and aching parts of the body. Extraordinary tenacity of life
distinguished the tree, the axe, fire, and poison failing under some
circumstances to vanquish it.