During the rainy or cold season a great number of whales visit the coasts of the colony, and are chased by British, American, and French vessels. The black whale is most frequent, but the sperm-whale also occurs. The native animals are—the kangaroo, the wallobi, a smaller species of the same genus, the wombat, the opeerum, and the dingo, or Australian dog. Porcupines, although unknown on the mainland, are found in considerable numbers on Kangaroo Island. For several years locusts have appeared in great numbers, and caused much damage to gardens and young crops in the district around Adelaide. Birds are numerous, and distinguished by their beauty. The emu, several kinds of parrakeets and cockatoos, partridges, and quails are common. The most common sea-fowl are.—pelicans, black-swans, wild-ducks, divers, waders, cormorants, and Cape pigeons. Several kinds of fish are taken in the sea, as salmon, snappers, porpoises, and large and small sharks. There are several kinds of snakes and lizards : among the latter the iguana, which is eaten; among shell-fish, oysters and periwinkles are plentiful.
The colonists have imported horses from Tasmania and hew South Wales, and ponies from the island of Timor in the Indian Archipelago; cattle and sheep from the Cape, Tasmania, New South Wales, and Victoria; bogs from Ncw Zealand. Fowls are common, both the common species and the larger one from the countries of the Malaya. The kangaroo-dog is a valuable cross-breed of the bull-dog and gray bound, and is used for chasing the emus and kangaroos.
The woods of South Australia contain many =trees, of which the stringy bark, the blue, white, and peppermint gum-trees, different species of the Eucalyptus, are the most useful, their timber serving for building and fencing, for the construction of carts and ploughs, and the manufacture of agricultural Implements; timber for finer purposes y islot and All potatoes. Melons, watermelons, pumpkin., and cucumbers attain an uncommon size, as do also cauliflowers. Onion are cultivated to a great extent in Kangaroo Island. No edible fruit is indigenous, except some berries, which are eaten by the natives. Fruit-trees have been extensively introduced. At Adelaide a prize was awarded in 1851 for a collection of sixty varieties of apples grown about ten miles from the city. The peach grows luxuriantly. Oranges and lemons, olives and mulberries are cultivated to some extent. Every approved variety of grape is gown.
South Australia is rich in minerals. Iron-ore Is found in many places, especially in the deserts. Copper-ore is very widely distributed in great abundance, and of the richest quality. Lead also exists in considerable quantity, and some gold has been found. Salt occurs in
many places. Twelve copper-mines were in operation in 1851. These are—the Burrs-Burrs same, 90 miles N. by E. from Adelaide ; the Kamm& and North Kapunda mines, 50 miles N.N.E. ; Karknito mines, 76 mile. N. by W.; Worthing mine, 14 miles &S.W.; Perse verance mine, 12 miles N.E. by E., where porkies were engaged digging for gold on licences; Tungkillo, or Reedy C'reek mine, 35 miles E.N.E.; the Consolidated mines in Barossa and Lynedoch Valley, 38 miles E. by N.; • the Kanmantoo, Bremer, Wheal Mary, Wheal Maria, and Wheal Friendship mines, all in a group about 25 miles E.S.E. from Adelaide. The ore of the Burra-Burra mine is peculiarly rich. It contains 75 per cent. of metal, in the form of a pure oxide requiring no flux to smelt it, the heat of a blacksmith's forge sufficing to run the metal. The lode is 17 feet wide, of great extent, and is quarried like stone, in masses. The mine yields annually about 20,000 tons of copper ore, valued at 20& per ton. The lead-mines are Glen Osmond and Wheal Watkins mines, about six miles south from Adelaide, and the Wheal Gawler and Yattagolinga mines, the first two yielding 75 per cent of metal.
The natives of South Australia, like those of New South Wales, belong to that race which is called Negro Australian. They have not yet attained an equal degree of civilisation with the native population of the eastern coast, but measures have been adopted for their im provement with some degree of success. There are schools at Adelaide and Port Lincoln for the education of the children. Connected with the latter is a 'training institution under the superintendence of Arch deacon Hale, in which the youths, after leaving school, are kept separate from the tribe, and instructed in the Christian religion and in some industrial pursuit. A number of youths are employed on stockholders stations along the Murray. Though it appears certain that all the natives of the southern and eastern coast of Australia speak the same language, a marked difference exists in the dialects spoken in different parts. Various dialects are used within the terri tories of South Australia : one is spoken by the few isolated families which live in the districts west of 136° E. long.; another bythe tribes inhabiting the vicinity bf Adelaide ; and the tribes along the banks of the Murray below the junction of the Darling, have been found to use four different dialects, three of which were unintelligible to natives from the neighbourhood of Lake Victoria. The tribes within the settled parts of the colony are generally peaceable and inoffensive.