CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VThe Museumâ€”Flower Showâ€”Musicalâ€”Native Risingsâ€”Zooâ€”South Perthâ€”The Old Millâ€”Moonlight.

The Museumâ€”Flower Showâ€”Musicalâ€”Native Risingsâ€”Zooâ€”South Perthâ€”The Old Millâ€”Moonlight.

The new public library and museum in Beaufort Street is a very handsome building, and well worth visiting. It contains many interesting collections of birds, beasts, fishes, and other specimens indigenous to Western Australia. The fossils found in the coastal limestone and in the carboniferous formations extending from the Irwin to the Gascoyne and thence to Kimberly are truly wonderful.

The upper part of a mastodon gives one an idea of the tremendous size and strength the animal must have had. The casts of the fish-eating reptiles and saurians are marvellous. Any one going through the museum and noting the productions of Western Australia, past and presentâ€”other than gold, which many people seem to think is the only thing the colony can produceâ€”will be considerably surprised.

The marsupials are, I think, of especial interest, and of these there is a large and varied collection. These marsupials or pouched animals, from the tiny crescent wallaby, no larger than a very small rabbit, the pretty little kangaroo-rat, and the funny spectacled wallaby, to the rufus or red kangaroo, and the great old-man grey kangaroo, taller than a big man, and possessed of enormous strength and vitality, are, according to Mr. Woodward, the curator of the museum, characteristic only of the Australian region, the only kind of animal at all like them in the world being the American opossum. Some opossums, however, have no pouch, but carry their young ontheir backs. The kangaroos, as I think all Australians know, always carry the little Joeys snug in their pouch. And during my travels I have often seen them peeping out of their snug home. Many different kinds of pretty opossums come next, ranging from the pigmy flying opossum, little ring-tail opossum, and the odd little rabbit bandicoot to the pussy-looking black, grey, or white opossum, whose skin and fur make such warm and comfortable rugs for cold places, but are not often wanted in the mild climate of Western Australia. One tiny little mouse-coloured kangaroo-rat, found only in the south of the colony, is very pretty, and makes a dear little pet; these animals feed on the nectar of flowers, and when tamed, on bread and honey; they sleep all day curled up into a ball, but are very lively at night. Sleepless persons desiring a companion may be glad to note this. TheMyrmecobius fasciatus, or banded ant-eater, from Coolgardie, is a most remarkable-looking creature, as, indeed, its Latin name indicates.

The splendid collection of Western Australian birds is really surprising; after seeing it one wonders how some people could say that there are no birds in Australia. The typical black swan, white swan, and pelican from the Swan River; the handsome bittern from Herdsmanâ€™s Lake, near Perth; the giant petrel from Fremantle; enormous emus from the Murchison, are all to be seen here, the last named with some dear little striped fluffy young ones, the size of goslings. I have often seen these birds when travelling on the Murchison myself. The ossifrag, a gigantic black-necked stork from Derby, in the far north; the Australian egret, so often plundered for ladiesâ€™ hats; magnificent sea-eagles; a most interesting nest of the sparrow-hawk made of twigs and gum-leaves, and containing four young ones, over whom the mother mounts guard; cockatoos, parrots innumerable, with most lovely plumage; and last, but not least, the graceful native companion from Broome. These are only a few of the birds belonging to the colony of Western Australia, but I have not space to mention more of them.

The nests of the trap-door spider are very peculiar; they look like a piece of ordinary clay, but when the door is opened a perfectly hollowed-out room is seen within, where the spider and his prey almost exemplify the old rhyme of childhoodâ€™s days. Some of the moths are very handsome, notably the diuran and the podacanthus, the first named being very large and of a lovely heliotrope colour. From these insects to a whale is a big jump, and the skeleton of the whale stranded at the Vasse in 1897 and secured by Mr. E. C. B. Locke, M.L.A., for the Museum, is one of the largest of its species, if notthelargest; it is nearly 80 feet in length, and when in the flesh it must have measured 86 feet. The head alone weighs a ton or more, and the whole skeleton is prodigious. Coming back from viewing the whale, my attention was drawn to the first two sovereigns struck off in the Perth Mint, which repose on a velvet bed, and are, it appears, of much interest to the rising generation, for three boys were looking at them with great attention. The models of all the great and wonderful diamonds ever found in the world, some very ancient Greek coins, and famous French medals, work of noted French medallists also a cast of the celebrated Moabite stone, the original of which is in the British Museum, are near here; the last named is of great interest, being inscribed in three languagesâ€”Egyptian hieroglyphics, Semitic, and Greek; it was discovered in 1799 in the little town of Rosetta, on the Nile. It was the deciphering of this stone in the Greek language that gave the clue to Egyptian hieroglyphics. There are also copies of many of the great works of art in London and Paris, so that, although separated by so many thousands of miles, Perth still keeps touch with the old world.

The relics from the wrecks of theBataviain 1629, and of theZeewyk, wrecked in 1727 at the Abrolhos Islands (the story of which I will tell later on), are the most interesting things to be seen in the museum. They consist of silver and copper coins, rosary beads, clay tobacco pipes, copper kettles and stewpans, knives, spoons, scissors, fish-hooks and sinkers,tumblers and wine-glasses, some of most delicate glass, enormous greenish-looking liquor bottles, and some round ones, capable, I should think, of holding gallons, cannon-balls and bullets, said to have been manufactured by the mutineers on the islands, and two complete but rather gruesome skeletons tell a silent and sorrowful tale of the past.

The wonderful shells and corals from these islands made me no longer wonder that the Dutchmen in 1629 named them â€œAbros vos olhos,â€ or â€œKeep your eyes openâ€; they must have named them not only for the dangers of the coast but for the marvellous things to be seen there.

CITY OF PERTH

The different kinds of shells, sponges, corals, fish, and birds are simply amazing. I can only specify a few, amongst which are the tremendous cup-sponge shell, fully three feet long, the peculiar montipara or screw coral, and the enormous sponges, the many wonderful kinds of fish, birds, &c., from these strange islands so near our shore, as well as from Mandurah, Rottnest, Garden Island, and Fremantle must be seen to be appreciated, and I recommend every one visiting Western Australia to go and see them for themselves. The collection of aboriginal curiosities and relics is ample. The skull of a notorious aboriginal murderer called Pigeon, who gave the police much trouble in catching him, was shown to me. This native was named Pigeon on account of his favourite way of despatching his victims by wringing their necks. There are some fine native shields, spears, knife dabbas, meeras or throwing-sticks, kileys or boomerangs, &c., and some most peculiar boat-shaped shells that are hollowed from young trees and used for carrying water or food; a wooden helmet, exactly like a souâ€™-wester, makes one think that one of the Dutch sailors who came ashore in the early days must have dropped his hat and some savage have copied the pattern in wood. The fish-spears have about eighteen barbs both ways; the spearheads are made of many kinds of different glass, and nowadays the natives knock down the telegraph insulators and make them into spearheads. In former times silex, of which knives andchisels were made, was used, but the other material is easier to get, and the black fellow is well known to be as much averse to trouble as some of the white fellows. I possess three spear heads from the Kimberly district, one of which gave the death-blow to a man from whose chest it was extracted.

Aboriginal Camp

The medicine-stick or bunganarrie used by the natives as a cure is very strangely marked, the markings no doubt constituting some imaginary spell. The dandie is used for tattooing, and the gunda-stick, with a knob at the end, looks like our life-preserver. The pindie pindie is a native ornament stick, frilled to represent a feather, and sometimes made of pretty green and cream colour. The effect is produced by scraping down the green part of a young branch about two inches till it frills, then scraping the inner pale part to frill over that. A space comes next, and then another frill, until the ornament reaches the length required. These objects the natives stick all over their heads. They also make very handsome ornaments of large mother-of-pearl shells by drilling a hole through the top, and hang them by a string of hair about their bodies. The women have an ornament made from pearl-shell called the binjah binjah, which hangs down their back attached to a currican or womanâ€™s necklace. The long marrie is an ornament of kangaroo teeth attached to a hair-string, to hang down between the eyes. The booran is a belt made from human hair, worn by the Kimberly natives. The native women havemost stringent ideas of mourning for their dead. A picture of one mourning for her brother shows her hair all screwed up in little knobs with wilgie clay and fat. Wilgie is a red-coloured clay or earth used for various rites and ceremonies. The tomahawk or pulboo has a handle of wood, the head being made of a kind of flint or stone, fixed in with a resinous substance called pulga or gum, made from the roots of the spinifex grass. Native spearheads too are fastened on with this gum, which is found in solid lumps, and dissolves with heat. String is made by the natives from the skin of the opossum by means of an instrument called the boolga, which consists of a long thin round stick, crossed near the top by two shorter sticks, and has somewhat the appearance of a boyâ€™s kite. In making their implements they generally employ a tool called a bedoo, which resembles a spearhead. The ongath or fire-stick is used for lighting fires, and keeps alight a long while, burning very slowly. These sticks are carried about almost as we carry matches. The letter-sticks of the natives, or paper-talk as they now call them, are beautifully marked and of different sizes, the designs on those from the Gascoyne district being quite remarkable. Around the stick will be marked, in a kind of blue ink, all sorts of odd signs and figures, such as a crab, a gun, a leg, an arm, a loverâ€™s knot, a hand and arm outstretched almost like a masonic emblem, and many other peculiar signs best known to themselves. The dewark, or throwing-stick, is also an interesting object, and so are the many aboriginal carvings and the sharp stones used in their sacred or tribal rites. The stones used for grinding their food consist of a large flat stone and a round smooth heavy one. Nalgo is the name of the principal seed thus ground, but they have many different kinds of food, which I will describe later. A tree called the boobah-tree grows at Derby, and produces a nut as large as a goose egg.

The natives about Perth and Fremantle were in early days very numerous and troublesome. Native risings were frequent, and many hundreds of aborigines were shot. The present siteof the Great Western Hotel was the scene of a large fight, arising out of the murder of two boys, the sons of settlers, who were minding cows, and were set upon by the blacks. The boys ran away to the Swan river, and one jumped in and swam across, only to be speared on the other side. The other boy did not reach the bank, but received five spears in his back and died at once. At this the settlers were soon up in arms, and one bloodthirsty native called Yagin was outlawed. He was eventually shot near Hutt Street, where the rising took place, by Dr. Dodd, who afterwards took a large strip of his skin from shoulder to foot, tanned it, and made it into a belt, which he wore for years!

That silk can be grown in Perth is testified by some lovely blue and cream-coloured handkerchiefs made from silk grown here, and presented to the museum by Sir John Forrest. Next to this case is an old plan of Leschenhault Port, now called Bunbury, in 1803. Also a little picture of the shipSuccessand a man-of-war in Careering Bay, Swan River, in 1829.

Perth does not yet boast of a large Botanic Garden, but as, in the spring, the whole country around is one vast garden the absence is not severely felt. There is a charming public garden, small, but very prettily laid out, near Government House, and opposite the Post Office.

Sir John Forrest prophesied, ten years ago, that in the future Western Australia would come to the fore, and the prophecy is being amply fulfilled; no travellers now ever think of making a tour in Australia without coming to the West. Mr. Frederick Villiers, the famous war correspondent, says that when he came to the colonies, seven years ago, he was nearly coming here, and, now having been, he professes to be so much charmed with Perth, and the view of the Swan River, as to feel inclined to settle down and end his days there. These little corners of the world have made him dissatisfied with his business, and as I gazed upon the many spots of beauty on the river before me, while the faint red blush of the sky deepened into a crimson sunset and cast a glorious reflection on the water, Ifelt myself agreeing with Mr. Villiers and disposed to stay in my pretty Claremont home for ever, where the sun seldom shines too fiercely and the winter is like a gentle friend.

One spring day I drove in to Perth to see the flower show, then being held in the Town Hall. The drive over the bloom-covered slopes of the park, the sweet odours of the pretty flowers of the Bush mingling with that of the golden wattle, was most enjoyable. I can never ride or drive through that park, and gaze on the beautiful scene below, without feeling that God has indeed given us a lovely world to live in. It was a holiday, and consequently many little parties (frequently of two) were exploring the flower-scented knolls and enjoying the breeze from the water. Perth was quite gay, all the carriages of theÃ©liteseemed engaged in carrying their fair owners to the flower-show. On entering the Town Hall a perfect blaze of beauty in the shape of wild flowers met the eye. The silver and golden wattle, laden with fragrant perfume, drew me immediately to the spot where they were. In the â€œSalyang Mia-Miaâ€ (wattle-house) a most refreshing cup of tea was to be procured. Sitting in this fragrant bower and sipping tea brought to mind the lines:

All the world is turning golden, turning golden,Gold buttercups, gold moths upon the wing,Gold is shining throâ€™ the eyelids that were holden,Till the spring.

All the world is turning golden, turning golden,

Gold buttercups, gold moths upon the wing,

Gold is shining throâ€™ the eyelids that were holden,

Till the spring.

â€œDjanni Mia-Miaâ€ (bark-tree house) was a triumph of rusticity, and the collection of hibiscus, boronia, flannel-plants and mauve everlastings were so lovely that I was obliged to buy several bunches of the different kinds. The bamboo stall was also very artistic, and the bamboos furnished receptacles for water, by means of which the flowers were kept fresh. â€œYanget Mia-Miaâ€ was the name of the bush-house, which had a background of bulrushes and blossom, and various bouquets of all sorts, sizes and scents were so tempting that I bought more, and found myself becoming a walking flower-garden. Wild flowers were here in every varietyand hue. Specimens of native flora had been gathered from the hills and dales for miles around. The anygoxanthus (kangaroo paw), a most wonderful flower, was to be seen in many different hues: the blue and red leschenaultia, the trailing white clematis, or virginâ€™s bower, hanging in charming clusters, white and red hibiscus, and the more delicate heliotrope variety of the same flower, the delicate grey smoke-plant, with its dark green leaves, the snowflake flower, which, when blooming on its native earth, looks like a snow white carpet, one after another caught the eye. These flowers have long stems, and make exquisite table decorations. The thysanctus, or fringed lily, is a remarkable satiny-looking flower, and has a habit of climbing. The delightful boronia has many different varieties, the pale yellow being the prettiest, and the pink and white coming next; the dark red or brown, however, gives off a most delightful and refreshing perfume. The native roses are very pretty, the small blue ones being the first and last flowers to bloom during the season. The blossoms of the eucalyptus are of a magnificent crimson, and the delicate pink and white flowers of the crowea hang in loose clusters. Having travelled through so much of the Western Australian country, I recognised many of the beautiful gems that are to be seen adorning the Bush in various parts I visited. The kangaroo paw, before spoken of, has many varieties, ranging from faint cream colour, through scarlet, crimson, yellow, chrome, and green to sable, and in form is exactly like the foot of our typical Australian animal. The little trigger (candolea) plant, with its white flower suffused with shades of pink and yellow, and the marianthus, a climbing flower, are extremely beautiful.

DRIVING IN PERTH PARK AT THE SUMMIT

The peculiar-looking ice-plant grows in the hot dry sand of the coast. I admired greatly some soft-tinted native tulips (pink), which were prettily veined and almost transparent. The actinotis (or flannel flower) is very abundant and long lasting, and therefore well fitted for decorations. Pilotus (or catâ€™s paw) has a pink and white flower, and retains its colourfor a long time. A flower called the lactinostachys is most phenomenal; the stem and leaves seem to be without sap, and have a thick woolly covering; the flower looks so artificial that one can hardly believe it to be real. It is found in the northern part of the colony in hot dry localities. The clematis is a sweet pure white flower, which literally covers the trees and shrubs where it climbs. The banksia (or honeysuckle) is a handsome flower, with a kind of crimson cone. The parrot-plant looks like a many-coloured bird. The grevillia (or native fuchsia) is here in many hues. Sturtâ€™s desert-pea is a very handsome, brilliant scarlet flower, with black centre. The fringed verticordia, with its lemon-centred foliage, is pretty, and so is the callistemon, which has bright scarlet plumes. The petrophila flower has striking blossoms that look like rich pink velvet, while the yellow flowers and peculiarly formed leaves (resembling a stagâ€™s horn) of the synaphea were the most remarkable growths that I saw. Everlastings in every colour imaginable were there. The delicate but striking beauty of various orchids was shown to great advantage; the calendia (or spider orchid), with its peculiar spots, was particularly attractive: the douris (or dog-ear orchid), and the prasophyllum, with its spikes, 18 inches long, of dense white flowers, were interesting; so was the lyperanthus orchid, whose flowers turn black when dried; while the drakea (or hammer-head orchid) looked almost like a little duckling. The glossodia, spotted white, seemed as if it were varnished. Then there was a sensitive plant called the pterostylis, which almost resembled a tiny box, with a movable labellum, which is sensitive, and, when irritated by an insect, closes the box and imprisons the insect. Droseracea belongs to the fly-trap family, and has leaves and tentacles covered with a sticky juicy kind of acid, which arrests the inquisitive little insects, who come doubtless attracted by the dew on the leaf. As soon as these tentacles are touched the leaf closes in upon the unwary insect, which is soon absorbed by the juice exuded by the plant. The flower of the byblis, byfar the largest and most attractive of the species, is of a rich salmon-pink colour. Probably the brightness of the flower attracts the insect to the stem and leaves, which are covered with the same juice as the droseracea, but in this instance the insect is absorbed on the surface of the plant. There are thirty-six species of insectivorous droseracea.

GATHERING WILDFLOWERS

There are hundreds of other species of orchids and thousands more of wild flowers. The late Baron von Mueller said, â€œAustralia is a great continent, and much of its vegetation is yet unexplored.â€ The Baron added â€œthat more than half of the total vegetable species known in Australia were represented in the West,â€ and mentioned over 9000 of them. Dr. Morrison, our Government botanist, informed me that there were more than 3000 species of wild flowers.

As I was leaving the flower-show I noticed some very fine Anthorreas. â€œThe King Blackboyâ€ is a Western Australian grass-tree much admired. A handsome painting of the Nutsyia fire-tree, or Christmas-bush, also demanded notice. This tree bears very bright yellow or amber flowers about November and December, and the blossoms being of such a brilliant colour, and growing on trees that attain the height of from 20 to 30 feet, are very conspicuous and visible at a great distance.

Taking the little steamer one morning I crossed to South Perth. The new Zoological Gardens are worth seeing, if only for the superb view from them. A recent visitor said that he had seen many gardens in various parts of the world, but none in a more beautiful position than at Perth. The gardens occupy about forty acres of ground, and are a favourite resort on Sundays and holidays. Family parties are made up to go to the â€œZoo,â€ for many Western Australian children have never seen wild animals elsewhere, except in picture-books. The grounds are beautifully laid out; the aromatic flower-beds, ornamental ponds and rockeries, gushing fountains, miniature castles, turrets, &c., make it a charming place to spend an afternoon and evening. At night the grounds are illuminated with hundreds of different-coloured lamps, which send arainbow radiance over the scene. Concerts are held every Saturday evening during summer, and there is a really fine quartet, called the Orpheus, whose harmonious blending of sweet music in the lovely summer nights is well worth listening to; the Headquarters band also plays. Many of the animals awakened by the sounds of music (which is said to soothe the savage breast) evince much curiosity, others slumber on, no doubt soothed by the sweet strains. There are two splendid lions in separate cages. The lioness is very bad-tempered, and on being placed in the cage with the king of beasts, instead of showing a taste for his society, clawed him unmercifully, he standing the bad treatment in a most kingly manner. Her highness was, therefore, placed in a cage by herself to recover her good temper.

The baby tiger seemed to be a great favourite, and it was quite amusing to see the antics of the monkeys in their play-room with the little ourang-outang, with whom they seemed to fraternise amicably and to play with quite happily. A ride on the donkey was much enjoyed by my little niece. I wanted her to mount the dromedary, but she declined that pleasure. Boys are pleased with the ponies, and the handsome goat-carriages come in for a share of admiration. The sacred Indian cow from Singapore, the newly arrived leopards, the white kangaroo (a great favourite), and all the others, too numerous to mention, were thoroughly inspected, and the children from the goldfields seemed delighted to see animals hitherto only known to them through the medium of books. Hot water is provided free of charge, and picnics are frequent; happy parties of little ones were sitting down in the cool shade and making the place ring with their voices. A view of the Canning river lies on one side and of the Swan river on the other, the garden being situated on an arm of land almost surrounded by water.

SOUTH PERTH FROM THE BANKS OF THE SWAN

South Perth was in early days intended for the site of the city, but the business parts having occupied the other side of the river, South Perth has been left to become a most charmingand aristocratic suburb, many handsome residences, pretty villas and gardens adding to the natural beauty of the place. An old mill is still standing on the extreme end of the Point, and eventually a bridge will span the Swan river and connect Mill Point with Perth at the foot of Mount Eliza, near the park. Land is becoming very valuable here, and I have bought a plot with a view to building a villa in this beautiful place.

I did not return by steamer, which only takes ten minutes to cross the water, but preferred to drive round by landâ€”a drive of about four miles. We drove about three miles before coming to the glorious Causeway, a stretch of water which is spanned by an enormous and handsome bridge. From this point a moonlight view of South Perth, Perth, and the Swan river winding its way to Guildford, is seen, and forms a very fitting end to a dayâ€™s pleasant excursion.

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