[68] The black cockatoo (of which at present there are only two species known) feeds on the larvæ of insects, or seeds of the _Banksia_, _Hakea_, and even those of the _Xanthorrhœa_, or grass tree. [69] “Krardgee,” signifying a person who attends on the sick; and “kibba,” a stone. [70] Yas Plains are distant one hundred and eighty-six miles from Sydney. [71] Forest scenery in Australia is of a very dull character: with all my admiration of the vegetable kingdom, I could find but very little that was interesting in their appearance, unless flowering shrubs and plants were in profusion. [72] The settlers in Australia, as in America, call wheat, barley, &c. grain; and when Englishmen speak of corn-fields, they consider he alludes to maize, which is alone called corn in this country. This often leads to mistakes in conversation. [73] It is the beautiful Neem tree of India; the root is stated to be bitter and nauseous, and is used in North America as anthelminthic. [74] The patients are persons only under the employ of government, or assigned servants of the settlers; for the latter the master pays a shilling daily for a month, or as many days less as the man may remain in the hospital; but should he remain longer than a month, no further charge is made. [75] Since the above was written, this inconvenience has been obviated, by government establishing an hospital at Goulburn Plains. [76] The following is the definition of a clergyman, as once given by one of the aborigines: “He, white feller, belonging to Sunday, get up top o’ waddy, pile long corrobera all about debbil debbil, and wear shirt over trowsel.” [77] The largest specimen measured— Inch. Length of the body 4½ Length of the claw 3⁶⁄₈ Breadth of the shield 1⅜ Breadth of the claw 1⅛ Breadth of expanded tail 1⅞ Length of the anterior antennæ 4²⁄₈ Length of the posterior antennæ 1½ The colour of the upper part of the body, in the large specimens, was brownish green; the upper part of the claws blueish green, occasionally mottled; under surface, whitish; joints, red. The smaller specimens had the upper surface of the body of a dark green colour, claws blueish green and mottled: several of the females had a quantity of ova in the usual situation. [78] In March the season commences, at Sydney, for “cray-fish,” which are caught in large quantities, and of enormous size, about the sea-coast, and are hawked about the streets at a cheap rate; therefore, in this colony, cray-fish abound in the sea, and lobsters in the river. [79] Both the black and brown snakes take to the water on the appearance of danger; indeed they evidently procure their food from the banks of streams, and may be considered both land and water snakes.