Sentence:  The great heat of the <WSD>Mallee</WSD>, far exceeding in intensity anything of the kind I had previously experienced, is due to the dense and impenetrable foliage overhead, rendered still more dense underneath by numberless varieties of interlacing vines, which intercepting any stray current of air effectually check ventilation. Although not totally destitute of animal life, in the summer season very few living creatures, beyond innumerable tribes of insects, are to be found within the <WSD>Mallee</WSD>. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  Any semi-desert region of Australia where such scrub is the predominant vegetation. (from 19th c.)