Volume I Part 35 (1/2)

George Moore, and afterwards on the North-west coast, and in South Australia by Captain Grey Although known to range over a large expanse of the continent, this was the first time it was discovered in Northern Australia

In the reaches where the ba the Pteropus rubricollis of Geoff) wereto and fro close over the boats as they passed up, reeable noise, which, however, was far less unpleasant than theto mind the exclamation placed by our immortal bard in the s of these ular, while soht would darken the verdure of a baht, bent low, as if before a passing gust of wind To fix themselves appeared always a difficult, and was certainly a noisy operation, each apparently striving to alight upon the sa claw, or hook attached to the outer edge of the wing, and then gradually settle theators Fish also abounded; and in the salt water, a kind commonly known in the river Plate by the naht was of the enore kind of dark bream of excellent flavour was taken in fresh water

WOOD-DUCKS

Many of the reaches also swar al on the trees, have received the name of wood-ducks They were very different and far superior in plue to those found on the south-eastern parts of the continent, and as they have not yet been nu the Australian birds so vividly described by Mr Gould, wethem

They are inferior in size to the common European wild duck, but are marked in much the same s, still darker, are slightly bronzed at the tips Their singularly long legs are of a pale flesh colour, while the web on the foot is very reater pliability to the foot and a power of grasping, which enables them to perch on trees The head and bill, the latter of a pale ash colour, are both large When on the wing theysound, that can be heard at a great distance, and which changes as they alight, into a sort of chatter Their perching on trees is perfor to and fro We subsequently often found them on the rivers on the North coast, but not within some miles of their mouths or near their upper waters, from which it would appear that they inhabit certain reaches of the rivers only: we never found them in swamps The farthest south they were afterwards met with, was on the Albert River in the Gulf of Carpentaria, in latitude 18 degrees South, which gives therees of latitude over the northern part of the continent Their nests never came under our notice, and consequently we are not aware either of the size or colour of their eggs; neither did we see any young birds during the period of our observation, ranging from July to November only

(Footnote Mr Eyre has since infor similar, on the Murray River, but is not aware that it has the peculiar habit of perching on trees)

(Footnote Mr Gould, who had previously described this bird (Leptotarais Eytoni) being desirous of figuring it in his splendid work, has been furnished with this account)

EXPLORATION OF THE SOUTHERN BRANCH OF THE ADELAIDE

August 4

The southern arm of the Adelaide River, and about fifteento be explored, I started on this interesting service the day of the return of Captain Wickhaust 4th We soon found that the one we ascended pro no tidal stream of any consequence; still we hoped to trace its rejunction with the eneral South by West direction five miles, and East-South-East the saroves on each side entirely blocked up the passage, and stopped the boat's progress I here again felt the inconvenience of our not being furnished with one of the penduluh-water, and as the shore was lined with an iroves, ere unable to land In vain did I try, by cutting down some of them, to find a rest for the artificial horizon on one of the stumps; they were so connected with each other beneath the water, by a perfect network of roots, that although several of the surrounding trees were felled, a tremulous motion was still conveyed from a distance, and I consequently lost the observation for latitude

(Footnote I strongly recoy weather it will save hours of anxiety, and may often prevent the horrors of shi+pwreck)

The saltwater arm of the Adelaide we found had another branch, which took us eightlike the other, and at loater being athe windings of these creeks or inlets; a tall growth ofthe view li in e, while to add to the zest of our proceedings we felt ourselves to be the first Europeans who had traversed these parts

Now and then the deep stillness of nature would be broken by the mournful cry of a curlew, disturbed by the splash of the oars, while soroves, and out would start suddenly three or four white ibises with black necks, giving utterance to a peculiar cry, which faintly reseuinea fowl All else was deep unbroken silence

By evening we had again reached the entrance of the river, where we passed the night, during which there was a very heavy dew

August 5

The lower part of the Adelaide having been already explored, prevented us fro that depth of interest which we should otherwise have felt; still ere destined to enjoy our share of pleasurable sensations, as on the result of our examination depended the ie vessels We therefore started to settle this momentous question, even before the eastern sky was tinted with orange froli instantaneously, the rapidity of the change presenting a re a narrow part, formed by t red cliffy projections, we entered a wide reach that had an extensive flat of 2 and 2 1/2 fathoms water on the south side The next was similarly circu, however, on the west side Still in both there was a 3-fathom channel at loater, and in the reaches above, seven in nueneral South-South-East direction, about twice that depth This imparted to our discoveries the staable for thirty her up where the water is fresh, we may pronounce the Adelaide the deepest river in Australia

MEET A CANOE

Proceeding upwards, we met a party of natives about seven miles fro, and about two deep The bark was sewn together with ether thethe Aborigines of Australia It was the last of that description we met with in this direction, for we did not find canoes in use with the natives to the ard of Clarence Strait, but only rafts, a fact alluded to in an earlier portion of the work

ALARM OF THE NATIVES

Two young roves, through which we could see other natives passing By proceeding cautiously and slowly, I got pretty close to them They were evidently afraid that if they left it we should take their boat, and this gave thee white men Terror, however, was marked in their countenances, and one of the two leaped on shore, as we approached, in a state of great excite his arms about violently; whilst sometimes he would dip up a handful of water and squirt it out with great force from the corners of his mouth The size of the boat appeared, as usual, to astonish the lad who rehtened than the other, and I induced hih they had a deficiency in the upper front teeth, they had not disfigured any other part of their bodies The stature of the two young men was sroves wereso very numerous I was surprised to notice what little dread the natives appeared to have of the about in the water near the bank, as if they and the animal had entered into a treaty of a to have worn off, we continued our journey, but by hoisting the sail, the good effect was in a great ht of it called forth a yell fro the echoes, reverberated from side to side, and resounded in our ears for soained the end of the twelfth reach early in the afternoon, e obtained observations for longitude, that being the highest part of the river not surveyed, and distant about fifteen miles from the mouth; we had also just reached the portion frequented by the peculiar whistling wild duck, of which we bagged about twenty, for and next daythe observations, we examined the country for some distance; a level tract met the eye wherever it wandered, broken here and there by patches of low trees The plains were thinly dotted with a coarse wiry grass In places near hollohere water had collected, the soil, which was a dark kind of clayey mould, cracked and curled up with the heat A few shells were found scattered over the plains, of the kind so common on the north-east coast (Helix)