1
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I V !
- BT PROFESSOR JAMES RICAXTON.
IN a new country the traveler is look
ing for unfamiliar things. He will
find them in Xever-Never-Land. In
no country In the world can or find so
many opposite and eccentricities In na
ture as are to be .found In Australia.
From the beginning when this austral
continent first emerged fnrni the sea, her
physiography was & blunder; she never
had Important rain producing mountain
ranges In the Interior, consequently she
Is well nlsh rlverless, and has only a few
food harbors. Her geology, her xoolojry
and her fl'vra all prove her cosmic antiq
uity: they ahow that nature was serving
an apprenticeship when aha was lifted
from the waters and even for vast periods
afterward whn "animated With her fauna
anit flora.- But these facts do not make
rer less Interesting- to a visitor from the
Northern hemisphere. ' Nature's tentative
efforts In animal and plant life lend some
of the most attractive features to travel
among our antipodean cousins. We want
to see trees in the youth of their develop
ment, before they knew how to turn the
broad side of their leaves to the sun. and
before they had learned that It Is more,
convenient and advantsgoua to shel
their leaves rather4han their bark! It Is
a novel experience to dwell In a latitude
where the sun makes his dally course to
the northward and where' the firmament
Is spangled with unfamiliar twlnklers.
'What an opposite to hear the owl hoot,
not to the moon at night, but to the me
ridian sun during the day!
, How convenient for the honey-thief to
have bes without stlnzs as they are in
Australia. When traveling n many parts
.of India the knowledge that one la often
exposed to attacks by the most ferocious
flesh-eaters Is apt to be disquieting; In
Australia the carnlvorae have no repre
sentative except the dingo (wlWi dog), and
h la probably an early Importation. As
carnivorous animals do not exist, rumin
ating animals are unnecessary. If I may
express It In that way. To make It plain,
ud-chewlng la. according, to naturalists,
nature's way of enabling defenseless ani
mals to feed quickly and retire to placea
of security where they can chew at leis
ure; so In Australia, where flesli-eatlng
animals do not exist, there are no rumin
ants. While there are no flesh eaters and
no cud-chewers Indigenous to Australia,
there are plenty of Importation of both
orders; foxes abound, but the fox la
foreigner, so Is the pestilential bunny.
: ' The fauna la essentially marsupial, the
most Important representative of which
la the- kangaroo: of course, I mean by
marsupial, the pouched animal, of which
there arsp-llo different spedes; in America
the opossum is the only pouched speci
men. It may be necessary to state that
a marsupial or pouched animal Is one
whose young la born in almost embryonic
Immaturity and placed by the mother in
her abdominal pouch, where it remains
till well developed. The marsupial is
wonderful Inasmuch as It' repreaents a
stage in animal life midway between egg
birth and living birth, or between what
Is known in natural history aa oviparous
and viviparous life; therefore the mar
supial order denotes a very remote period
In the development of the animal king
dom, and. the fuuna of Australia being
essentially marsupial, you see why ref
erence la made to the anomalous condi
tion aa coming from nature, apprentice
ship, for both plant life and xoology, in
cases to which I have referred, are aeons
remote In nature's history.
In the animals of Australia there Is m
still more extraordinary example of Na
ture's caprice: it la In the duck-billed
platypus (ornlthorhynchus paradoxus)
sometimes called the duck-mole, and is
perhaps the most paradoxical of all Aus
tralian freaks. It Is almost a faunal
trinity embodying the qualities of fowl,
fish and beas"t: It uas webbed front feet
for swimming, tunneling hind feet like
those, of the more, the beak of a duck
and a beautifully furred body not unlike
that of a young otter. It lays eggs, usu
ally two, and broods them as does a hen;
when the oung are hatched they receive
their supply of milk in most unusual and
wonderful fashion. . The mother platy
pus has no teats; but the skin over the
milk glands Is porous and the ' little
duck-bills" pressing the gl and .causes
the milk to exude. Here then Is the
most paradoxical example of composite
animal life known to natural history,
and- wherein Nature seemed to hesitate
or to attempt a trinity.
Surely Australia Is a land of queer
things an Insular continent of contra
dictions: but I must not dwell altogether
upon natural history, for. beside her
ancient order of plants and beasts, Aua-J
aECRETAEx AND
.ADMIEAL WILL
tralia has1 scenic wonders which the
"round-the-world" traveler cannot afford
to ignore.
Owing to the absence of mountain
ranges in the interior, as already stated,
there is Is no adequate river system, and
this has led some people to think that
the entire country is mountalnless. This
Is a mistake. Several broken ranges ex
tend along the east and southeast coasts
from 30 to 90 miles from the sea. known
as the Australian Alps. Some parts of
the range are known aa the Liverpool
Mountains, another part of the system as
the Blue Mountains. Most of tljese
mountains are in New South Wales and
embrace several peaks, the highest.
Mount Kosciusko, being 659 feet. Al
though these ranges do not compare with
some other great ranges of the world In
elevation, yet their abrupt and irregu
lar formation, the overhanging walls,
the numerous cascades and waterfalls
springing from rocka 1800 feet overhead,
fern-shaded gorges, and deep, wide val
leys filled with the blue haze of gum
trees, all combine to produce an effect of
Himalayan grandeur.
Many parks in these ranges and sub
ranges have been set apart as Summer
resorts for the city folk. The most pop
ular and picturesque region in the Blue
Mountain range Is called Katooniba: It
ia In New South Wales. 65 miles from
Sydney, and is one of the most charming
mountain regions imaginable. It has al
ready several thousand inhabitants; sev
eral hotels and countless villas all perched
on outlook points. Katoomba has be
come a sanitarium, a comfort-seekers' re
treat In hot weather. It la an ozone
station, a picnicking ground, an artists'
paradise, a trystlng place of the com
monwealth. Katoomba Is only the ren
desvous point. The wild rugged ranges
continue for miles. The valley between
the precipitous walls is often 2000 feet
In depth filled with the fragrant bosk
age of the eucalypti, beneath which are
giant fern trees. At great expense the
governnjent has constructed shady walks
midway between the top and the bottom
of these stupendous walla, from which
one can peer downward a thousand feet
and upwartj a thousand feet, except
where his vision la obscured by the
gauxy niists of floating cascades. Rustic
tables and rock-eonstrcuted fireplaces for
lunching partle have been placed In
quiet, cosy nooksV Ladders and rustic
steps lead to the valley below where
paths may he followed for miles through
fern tree bowers.
fTKe whole region, extending over
many miles. Is so full of varied scenery
the wild, the rugged, the beautiful,
the grand, that I waa disposed to repri
mand the New South Wales government
because the entire Katoomba region
has not been set apart as a national
park. The only person whom I met at
Katoomba who showed due reapect for
and paid worthy homage to the grand
eur of the i Blue Mountains, waa a
mouldy-Tlaaged cab-driver who con
reyed me to Wentwrjrth Falla (a scenic
point In the region). After I had com
pleted my survey of all that was grand
In. the aurroundlng scenery and re
turned to jaj cab, the oab-dxlvex caidjj
.' TITE SUNDAY
A COWTOWEWT O? COraTRAFHStf
TWAT VM BOYtT Or OMR FLEET
W.Li
WHERE TTEIE
TLECT WILL TrSOT3 NCHCRj
Jr""
A
AJtCt; CAMF, 'inL
35SCE1VS THC CFHCERS OT OUR.XLEGT:
Would you like to listen to a recita
tion?" Of. course I would, certainly.'
He placed one hand on the wheel of
the cab, and turned his eyes upward
toward the . tree tops at the proper
elevation for sublime contemplation
and delivered the following apostrophe
to the Blue Mountains, which Ifi offered
with the other Australian curios, it be
Ina- the product of the cabby s own
lucubrations:
A "Cabby's" Apostrophe to the Blue
Mountains.
Te Blue Australian Mountains,
Puperb thy summits rise.
Stupendous heights ascending
The southern sunny skies.
Thy valleys fair aa Eden
Smile 'neath the cascade spray.
Where soft the b'll-blrd's chiming
And sweet the lyre-bird's lay.
Blue mountain. chain of grandeur.
Each Teak a Palace dome.
Where r"lKn the icods Immortal,
Thou fair Australian boms.
Te Blue Australian Mountains
v Where endless wealth abounds.
Through wlldwood. cave and tavern
The harp ot freedom sounds;
And flora spreads her mantle
With many a fragrant flower.
And nature wreaths In splendor
Hock-rugged wall and to-wer.
It must not be inferred that the Blue
Mountain range la a single line of
elevation; it is a table-land broken up
Into spurs and valleys extending west
ward for Jo or 20 miles, and embracing
a vast area of mountain.' valley and
forest. It is reached from Sydney by
railway, and. If the eeeker after the
wonderful in scenery desires a change
from the wonderful above to the won
derful below ground, let him proceed
by railway westward from Katoomba
to Mount Victoria Station, where he
will find waiting a coach which will
convey him over a fine mountain high
way for 39 miles to the famous Jenolan
caves. Here the mountain scenery is
still, magnificent above ground, but
here he may also penetrate the "earth
and traverse miles and miles of stalac
titlc and stalagmltlc caverns. These
series of under mountain halls and
galleries the Jenolan Caves are
among the most extensive and beauti
ful In the world. It is claimed that If
all the rooms and galleries in the Jeno
lan Caves were In line they would ex
tend 25 miles. Every conceivable for
mation that can be produced by the
dripping of mineralized water for ages
can be seen In these caves. They are
under the control of the provincial gov.
ernment; they are lighted by electri
city; steps, and ladders and passage
ways have been made at necessary
points: a boat Has been Installed In
what 18 known as the River Styx, which
Is 900 feet below the top of the moun
tain. " A very obliging caretaker acta
the role of Charon, and If the real CKa-
ron is as considerate and gentle-hearted
as the Jenolan one, we may entertain
some scruples about the necessity for
being so very good. ' '
.
It Is Impossible to particularize In
25 miles of beautiful subterranean
witchery; and tbes &r not th only j
OREGOXIAX. PORTLAND.
f TEUtf WSSK
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.
it
THE COXOKIALS ARB
J2J.CiiLY JEINIX3WEO
-NEAR. .MELBOURNE, 15 OJSlG OF
.THE. MOST SPLENDID RACE7
'COURSES INTHE
caves in Australia. At two other points
In New South Wrales wonderful caves
may be seen; the Yarrlnggobilly and
the Wombyan Caves are alnioat as ex
tensive -as those at Jenolan. 'In Vic
toria also are fine caves recently
opened. ' I was astonished to learn,
while In Australia, that what was once
a pestilence has become an Industry.
I refer to the prolific rabbit, whose
rapidly increasing numbers threatened
to deprive the sheep of their pasture
,lands, and rewards were offered for
their destruction. Now that freezing
plants have been installed, rabbit veni
son has round a good maraet in .Lon
don; and there are men whose regular
occupation is to trap rabbits. Tavana
is a great rabbit-shipping station,
which I visited, that I might see a
peculiarly Australian Industry. Bunny
is not a wary animal like the fox, but
Is easily trapped.
The rabbit catchers use ordinary steel
traps in great numbers; these they sec
on the feeding ground In localities where
their prey la known to be numerous. Rab
bits feed at night chiefly; the traps are
examined every morning. A hundred a
day . would, he a big catch;. 60 at 10 cents ,
AUGUST 16, 19Q3.
V
Js.
THE
challenge
OrAH'OLD MAMt
- XU MELBOURNE
-ZOO., . TOLL
IS CALLED A.K
Ik
15?
cfvrjt-t; '.Awfr.
WITH A HOJ2SE-
IKTIKB WOELt
a pair would be 15.50 a day, 10 cents a
pair being an average price. Each morn
ing's catch is suspended by the roadsidd
in front of the rabbit-farmers' home.
Rabbit-buyers often with two-team
trucks pass along dally gathering in the
cotton-tails which they transport to the
nearest shipping station. On the road to
Tavana I found two trucks carrying to
the station over two tons of rabbits;
thence they are conveyed by train to &
freezing plant. At the freezing place
often may be seen a train leaving for the
seaboard with 200 tons of frozen rabbits.
These are shipped to London like other
frozen meat. There Is a use for every
thing when we know what It Is, and It
Is to be hoped, ere long, the utility of
mosquitos will be discovered.
Industrial Australia shows advanced
conditions, especially In the . wool Indus
try, but neither this nor the other inter
esting agricultural features can even be
touched upon in this necessarily brief
sketch. I cannot, however, omit a word
about primal man of Never-Never-Land.
It has been the universally expressed
opinion, oral and written, that Uie . ab-,
mm rvwiiKHT ions iwHkmreun,MtMnFDi,jOnD ut
7
-By'
"OLD MAN)
'a"'J
WttAT WAJ
-ART) HOUS Or JEABBIT-VJIWo'ri
-AiiB . Shipped wxcklv TOioNbo.N
origine of'Australia is about the lowest
primitive race of man known. But the
latest writers are beginning to modify
this estimate and plaoe them more near
ly on an equality with other aboriginal
tribes, and my own observation accords
with later estimates. Of course, they do
not show the physical dignity, nor the
classic facial lines of the American' In
dian, who is probably the highest type
of. an aboriginal. Some have essayed to
trace the origin of the Australian to
Babylonia, others have found In his lan
guage indications of a Malayan descent;
others again have located his prehistoric
forbears In Africa. Many have a way of
discovering historic and anthropological
evidence as people see form In the fire.
I believe no one knows -where the ab
origines of Australia came from any
more than we know where the American
red man hailed from. We know they in
cline .towards the negroid appearance,
nearly black, some with frizzly hair and
other tribes with .hair nearly straight.
They have low, re-puslve faces; they are
lazy and shiftless. Many of them near
the towns are maintained by the govern
ment. In their wild state they erect very
crude places of shelter and use stone Im
plements. They show -no signs of ever
having had any connection with even a
semi-civilized ancestry.
Their marital usages are barbarous In
the extreme. Their courtship is antiquat
ed to say the least when a man falls in
love no, that's not the right language;
they don't fall In love when a man sees
a woman he wants for a wife he may buy
her from her father, or If she be in anoth
er tribe he may steal her; or he may lie
In wait, capture her and pound her intp
submission with a club. If a daughter Is
bought from a father, and she refuses to
accompany the negotiated groom, she Is
clubbed; If she attempts to run away the
father will spear her through the leg so
she cannot run. Sometimes brothers In
different tribes will "swap" sisters, en
tailing a double wedding.
Any mention of Australian natives,
however brief, would be incomplete with
out some account of their most remark
able weapon the boomerang. The boom
erang is an Instrument which seems to
stultify all the laws of mechanics and
projectiles; because when It is hurled off
into space in any direction for B0 or 100
yards It will return to the point from
which it Is thrown. Try to Imagine a
force acting contrary to itself: a force
acting in diametrically opposite directions.
This constitutes the mystery of the re
turn boomerang. . There are two kinds. of
boomerangs, the hunting or war-boomerang,
and the return boomerang; the
former gyrates rapidly end over end and
plunges into the quarry or the enemy.
The return instrument Is a plaything and
rotate horizontally; it is made with the
A
1 t.
- ' - '
5-
1 S
ONCE .A. IPESTrLENrF
ends so leveled that the resistance of h
air continually changes Its course with
out nullifying the propelling energy. A
returning boomerang may be thrown froro
60 to 100 yards, a fighting one much far
ther. It is said that no Kuropean has
ever been able to throw this paradoxical
instrument successfully, while a native
under favorable conditions of wind will
bring It within a six-foot circle of the
initial point In nearly every Instance. Ws
know how the erratic flight of this In
strument has become a figure In speech
and literature, as when any act performed
returns against the actor It Is called a
"boomeranjr"
In the Casclne.
Eden' Phlllpotts In the Uondm Nation.
Here Shelley wrote; the Immemorial trees
Have felt his passing through each dena
and glade;
Have bent and whispered while the mys
teries Of deathless things were woven In their
shade.
The wind that turns the shivering poplar
white.
The nightingale that throbs upon the night.
Still haunt the shadows where a poet's
soul hath strayed.
And I have moved upon the salf-ssms earth
He trod, have gazed upon the golden tide
Of Arno, where her far-flung, rippled mirth
Meets with Mugnona, leaps and broadens
wide.
By banks of emerald and sandy beach
She dims and shrinks again, long reach on
reach.
While the tail slender trees fads oft on
either side.
The tasseled hyacinth careswed his feet;
The great reed rose and rustled whers he
stood
Upon the river's-bank ; In dingle sweet
The young leaves bowed before him
through tlie wood.
Peace was about his passing; heaven's light
Fel" cool upon his gracious forehead bright.
And saw that he was fair and knew that
he was good.
The dome of blue whereon hts winced soul
Wheeled like an eagle through the ether
still; '
The plains that melt and glow and onward
roll;
Carrara's mist and marble where they fill
The far horizon all together brought
Under the ragged Apennines have wrought
This gold and azure cup wherein he drank
at will.
Not so the hour when from his spirit ro.e
The solemn anthem of the great west
wind.
Then, through red gloaming and the stormy
close
Of Autumn, fee went forth In might to
find
The river burdened with her latter rains;
Earth's thickened breath lie heavy on the
plains;
And open to his cry the immortal
mother's mind.
Harper of all the ages, giant free.
Roaming on earth's deep bosom aa of
yore,
Greater than thpu is this he wrote of thes.
Enduring as thyself for evermore,
Shelley's melodious miracle shall reign
For generations' Joy, and still maintain
Whiist tluAi dost herd the cloud and
bring the wave to shore,
yioxuice. May 21.
L