The igneous rocks are everywhere present in great variety. The islands of the Furneaux group in Bass's strait are chiefly of granite, and form the connecting links which join the n.e. angle of Tasmania to the great dividing range of eastern Australia. Gold has been found in many places, and the workings have for years given fair returns to a limited number of miners. In 1875, the quantity of gold produced was 3.010 ounces. Silver and antimony have been occasionally met with in the gold drifts, and very rich deposits of tin have begun to be worked at mount Bischoff. In the six months ending June, 1877, 900 tons of tin ore were shipped. Copper occurs in thin veins, asso ciated with galena, on the n. coast, near the .river Leven, and galena has been found elsewhere in the primitive limestones. Red and brown hematites, containing a large percentage of iron, occur at various points on the n. coast, in large masses and lodes. Iron-works on an extended scale are now in operation; in 1874 the produce was 1400 tons. Coal is worked in several parts of the island, chiefly for local consumption. A large lode of bismuth was discovered in 1875. The older limestones yield fine varieties of Marble, and excellent building stone is obtained from the greenstones, basalts, and paleozoic sandstones.
flora of Tasmania has been fully described in the botany of the antarctic voyages by Hooker and others. The majority of the species are common to Australia and Tasmania. Of those which are peculiar to the latter, many are limited to particular localities. The most widely diffused genera are the eucalypti and acaeim, the former yielding the ordinary timber of the colony. The blue gum (eucalyptus globules) reaches a height of with a corresponding girth. The blackwood (acacia vielanoxylon) and the huon pine (dacrydium Pranklinii) also yield valuable timber, which, together with the hardwoods from the eucalypti:is largely exported to the colonies. A species of beech facia Ounninghamil), locally known as the myrtle, and growino. in great abundance in some parts of the island, also produces a highly valuable timber, which has not yet received the attention which it merits. There are many beautiful shrubs and plants, but the flowers are usually small and inconspicuous All the common fruit-trees and culinary vegetables of England have been introduced, and grow with great luxuriance and vigor. and lemons are cultivated in some situations, but do not usually ripen their fruit. Oranges introduction and cultivation of exotic trees and plants is energetically carried on in the botanical gardens under the direction of the Royal society.
the 40 species of mammals, one-half belong to the sub-class aplacen taria, comprising the marsupiata (kangaroo, wallaby, opossum, wombat, etc.), and two species of the singular order monotremata (ornithorhynchus and echidna). Among the marsupial animals peculiar to Tasmania, the chief are the thylacine (thylacinus cynocephalus) and the Tasmanian devil (dasyurus ursinus), both of which are sometimes very destructive to sheep in the outlying districts. The skin of the kangaroo is much prized for leather, and there is always a market for opossum fur. Whales and seals, formerly very abundant on the coasts, are now rare; but whaling is still extensively _ carried on in the adjacent seas. The birds of Tasmania have been admirably described by Gould. The majority are identical with Australian species. The emu is extinct, and black swans are seldom seen in the settled districts. There is abundance of native game, which is now protected by act of parliament during the breeding season. A species of puffin (Puffinus brevicaudus), locally known as the mutton-bird, frequents some of the islands in Bass's strait in countless numbers, and many thousands are annually slaughtered for the sake of their oil, and for food by the half-caste islanders. Fish are plentiful in the seas and rivers, the best being known by the local name of trumpeter, and reaching a weight of 40 lbs. There are 13 species of snakes, most of which are venomous, but accidents from their bite are of very rare occurrence. Many species of insects and crustaceans have been described by Erichson, Gray, Gunther, and others. A comprehensive and accurate account of the fauna of Tasmania is still how ,ever, a desideratum.
Fallow-deer, and several of the English game-birds, have long been naturalised, and salmon have been introduced after several unsuccessful attempts.
Climate, Soil, Produce, etc.—The climate of Tasmania is fine and salubrious. From observations taken at Hobart Town, and extending over a period of twentyyears, the extreme of heat appears to be 105°, and of cold 29° 8'. The mean temperature of the hottest month (January) is 63° 57', and of the coldest (July), 45° 82', and of the whole year, 54° 92 . In some parts of the island, the temperature, even in winter, rarely sinks to 45°. Snow seldom falls in the settled districts, and does not lie on the ground except on the high table-lands of the interior. The average annual rain-fall at Hobart Town is 21.52 in., and the average for the rest of the island about 35 in., except in the western country and the high lands, where a fall of 75 in. has been registered in the year.