ing, they were almost destroyed. There is a plant
among the underwood, which produces a kind of pepper; its leaves
are broad, and have an aromatic, pungent taste: the core which
contains the seed, shoots out between the leaf and the stalk, and
is in general two or three inches long, and full of small seeds,
which have nearly the same taste as the leaves; but, on their
being dried, the smell and taste leaves them: it is also
difficult to find them in a state of ripeness, as the parroquets
destroy them before they can arrive at any degree of
perfection.

The flax-plant of New Zealand, grows spontaneously, and in
great quantities on many parts of the island, but chiefly on the
coasts and in the vallies near the sea: the leaves of this plant,
when full grown, are from six to eight feet long, and six inches
wide at the bottom: each plant contains seven leaves, and a woody
stalk rises from the center, which bears the flowers: it seeds
annually, and the old leaves are forced off by the young one
every year. The method of soaking and preparing European flax and
hemp, had been tried, but with no other effect than separating
the vegetable part from the fibres; and a ligneous substance
still remaining, it could not be reduced to an useful state. Some
lines have been made of it, but they were not very strong; though
the flax appears capable of being worked into a very fine
substance, if the method of preparing it were known.

-Insects_.--These have already been described. The ground
is much infested by the grub-worm, which are very destructive to
the growth of vegetables: they are mostly troublesome about the
spring. Various methods have been tried to destroy these vermin,
but without effect. The caterpillar has also been very
troublesome in the spring; having destroyed acres of Indian corn
and acres of wheat: they came in upon the grain quite suddenly,
and after remaining three weeks, they went away with the same
rapidity.

-Fish_.--The coasts of the island abound with very fine
fish, which are principally the snapper, and weigh from four to
eight pounds each. A few fish are at times caught from the shore;
this, however, happens but seldom; so that a supply of fish must
depend on the weather and the surf permitting boats to go out. In
moderate weather, boats might land in Collins's-Bay, on
Phillip-Island, where a great quantity of fish might be cured,
from March to September; after which time the fly prevents
it.

-Season