Part 21 (1/2)

A new species of rock pigeon (Petrophassa, GOULD) with a dark brown body, priht broithout any white, and with the tail feathers rather worn, lived in pairs and small flocks like Geophaps, and flew out of the shade of overhanging rocks, or fro in the bed of the creek, around which they clustered like flies round a drop of syrup A fine shady Eucalyptus, with a short barrel, but large spreading branches, and with the grey bark of the box, greeen the rocks along the creek

Nov 12--We had been co thiswith Charley to fetch it to the camp, we found the poor brute dead On our return to the camp, we followed another creek to the northward, which also joined the river, about eight miles to the eastward of our camp The river was densely covered with scrub, and almost perpendicular cliffs bounded its valley on both sides Myriads of flying-foxes were here suspended in thick clusters on the highest trees in the most shady and rather moist parts of the valley They started as we passed, and the flapping of their large s produced a sound like that of a hail-storm

Nov 13--The two horses ridden by Charley and myself yesterday, had suffered so severely, that I had to allow them a day of rest to recover

In the mean time, I ith Charley and Brown to the spot where we had seen the greatest nuhbouring trees, ht to our camp; which served for dinner, breakfast, and luncheon, each individual receiving eight The flying-fox lived here on a small, blue, oval stone-fruit, of an acid taste, with a bitter kernel; it grew on a tree of moderate size Very small specimens of the Seaforthia pale scarlet fruit of Eugenia was found

During the night, we heard the first gru of thunder since many months

Nov 14--We travelled about twelvethe river, we followed a rocky creek to its head, and passed over ten y-bark forest, with Melalcuca gum and Banksia, interrupted only by a se, we ca tea-tree swaetation, but without water The creek, which we followed down for two h sandy, well-grassed flats, and contained soood water-holes, on which we encamped John told me that he had found the ripe fruit of Exocarpus cupressiforhtest trace of it since we left the Dawson, although Exocarpus latifolia was very frequent all over the sandy table-land But we gathered and ate a great quantity of gibong (the ripe fruit of Persoonia falcata), and so-tree I observed a Eucalyptus of rather stunted groith broad, al the night, thunder clouds and lightning were seen in every direction; and the whole atmosphere appeared to be in a state of fermentation Heavy showers poured down upon us; and our tarpaulings, which had been torn to pieces in travelling through the scrub, were scarcely sufficient to keep ourselves and our things dry But in theof the 15th, all nature seemed refreshed; and my depressed spirits rose quickly, under the influence of that sweet breath of vegetation, which is so remarkably experienced in Australia, where the numerous Myrtle faely to the general fragrance This day we travelled about six miles to the W

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Our course, however, was for three miles to the northward, over a sandy level forest, intercepted by several rocky creeks The third which we cae creek, which soon joined a still larger one from the eastward Both ell provided ater; and we encae of rock across the bed of the creek; and which probably for the rainy season

Thunder-storms formed to the southward and northward; but we had only a few drops of rain It was remarkable to observe that those to the southward vered round to the south-west by west, whereas those to the northward veered round to the north-east and east

Nov 16--We travelled nine miles north-west by north; crossed nu country; and had a es At the end of the stage, we cae Pandanus creek, which we followed until we found some fine pools of water in its bed My coathered the unripe fruits of Coniogeton arborescens, Br; which, when boiled, ireeable acidity to the water, and when thus prepared tasted tolerable well When ripe, they becah their rind was not very thick This resemblance induced us to call the tree ”The little Gooseberry tree” At the table land, and along the upper South Alligator River, it was a tree froreen shady foliage; but, at the Cobourg Peninsula, it dwindled into a low shrub The fruit was h the tree was of se and fine

Nov 17--We travelled four or five um forest, crossed several rocky creeks; and followed down the largest of thely rocky The rock was generally in horizontal layers There were h falls in the bed, which coround along its banks, when suddenly the extensive view of a nificent valley opened before us We stood with our whole train on the brink of a deep precipice, of perhaps 1800 feet descent, which seee river, joined byfroh the valley; which was bounded by high, though less precipitous ranges to the ard and south-west froes rose to the northward

I went on foot to theany farther; another small creek was examined, but with the same result We were compelled to move back, and thence to reconnoitre for a favourable descent Fortunately the late thunder-storreat number of sh there was only a scanty supply of a stiff grass, our cattle had filled theht to bear a day's privation In the afternoon, Charley accompanied me on foot in a northerly direction (for no horse could e loose sandstone blocks), and we exaullies and watercourses, all of a wild and rocky character, and found it impossible to descend, in that direction, into the valley Charley shot a Wallooroo just as it was leaping, frightened by our footsteps, out of its shady retreat to a pointed rock Whilst on this expedition, we observed a great nuht brick colour dotted with blue: the posterior part of the corselet, and the wings were blue; it o inches long, and its antennae three quarters of an inch

Nov 18--We returned to the creek in which we had encamped on the 16th, and pitched our tents a little lower dohere soood treat Iain with Charley down the creek, myself on horseback, but ullies joining it froain into fine well-grassed lightly timbered flats, and terreat number of tributary creeks joined it in its course, but all forently sloping hollows, filled with a rich black soil, and covered with an open brush vegetation at their upper part; but, lower down, large rocks protruded, until the narrow gully, with perpendicular walls, sunk rapidly into the deep chasm, dohich the boldest chamois hunter would not have dared to descend I now determined to examine the country to the southward; and, as it was late and ht at the next grassy flat, and sent Charley back to orderas far down the creek as possible, in order to facilitate the exaly exhausting

Nov 19--I appeased er, which had been well tried for twenty hours, on the srew near the rocks that bounded the sandy flats, until reen hide We went about three miles farther down the creek, and enca Rock box, a tree which I mentioned a few days since From this place I started with Brown in one direction, and Charley in another, to find a passage through the labyrinth of rocks After a ain found ourselves at the brink of that beautiful valley, which lay before us like a promised land We had now afar to our right a perpendicular wall, cut by ullies; the same wall continued to the left, but interrupted by a steep slope; to which we directed our steps, and afterit It was indeed very steep Its higher part was corained granite, with much quartz and felspar, but little mica and accidental hornblende, was below

The size of its elements had rendered it more liable to decomposition, and had probably been the cause of the formation of the slope In the valley, the creek ed from time to time, into fine sheets of water We rested ourselves in the shade of its drooping tea-trees; and, observing another slope about twothat its sandstone crest was too steep for our purpose, we returned to mark a line of road from the first slope to our camp For this purpose I had taken a to how little I could rely on Brown for finding his old tracks; but, with the tomahawk, he succeeded very well; for his quick eye discovered, from afar, the practicability of the road We succeeded at last, and, after s, reached our camp, even quicker than we had anticipated Charley returned next , and reported that he had found a descent, but very far off This ”very far off” of Charley was full of ht we had a very heavy thunder-storm which filled our creek and made its numerous waterfalls roar

Nov 20--We proceeded on our tree-, arrived, after some difficulty, safe and sound in the valley

Our horses and cattle were, however, in a distressing condition The passage along rocky creeks, between the loose blocks of which their feet were constantly slipping, had rendered thes with sores The feed had latterly consisted either of coarse grasses, or a se, which they did not like But, in the valley, all the tender grasses reappeared in the utreedily during the short rest I allowed the the foot of the slope The creek forht, like a silver belt between rich green vegetation, behind which the bare mountain walls alone were visible I proceeded down the creek about three er creek fro bullocks refused to go any further; and as ourin this favourable spot to kill the bullock

Careya arborea, the broad-leaved Terurass, gave to the country aaspect But the late thunder-storround very da reeable

In the rocky gullies of the table land, we had observed a great nust which a species of Pleurandra, a dwarf Calythrix, a prostrate woolly Grevillea, and a red Melaleuca, were theNear the slope by which we entered the valley, a species of Achras was found, but with a much smaller fruit than that of Port Jackson

The melodious whistle of a bird was frequently heard in the most rocky and wretched spots of the table land It raised its voice, a slow full whistle, by five or six successive half-notes; which was very pleasing, and frequently the only relief while passing through thiscountry The bullock was killed in the afternoon of the 20th, and on the 21st the meat was cut up and put out to dry; the afternoon was very favourable for this purpose; but, at night rain set in, and with the sultry weather rendered the enerally sultry and cloudy; during the afternoon the clouds cleared off with the sea-breeze: and towards sunset thunder-storhts were rainy, which preventedobservations to ascertainto reckoning, 132 degrees 50 minutes A little before sunset of the 21st four natives came to our camp; they hly, of a spear and a spear's head ave the with every thing heavy which was not of iical hammer One of the natives was a tall, but slim man; the others were of s expression of countenance

Large fish betrayed their presence in the deep water by splashi+ng during the night: and Charley asserted that he had seen the tracks of a crocodile Sware ponds in the creek: but our shot was all used, and the small iron-pebbles which were used as a substitute, were not heavy enough to kill even a duck Some balls, however, were still left, but these we kept for occasions of urgent necessity

Nov 22--As ourwe reht, the heaviest thunder-storain wetted it; we succeeded, however, notwithstanding this interruption, in drying it without ots to nestle in it; and the rain to which it had been exposed, rendered it very insipid

Poor Redmond, the last of our bullocks, came frequently to the spot where his late coone, he returned to his abundant feed, and when I loaded him to continue our journey down the river he was full and sleek It was interesting to observe how the bullocks on all previous occasions, alnizance of the place where one of their nu the night or the next day, walk round the spot, lift their tails, snuff the air with an occasional shake of their horns, and soallop

Nov 23--We travelled about eight e of Pegmatite descended from the table land far into the valley, from east to west; and an isolated peak was seen to the west of it at the left bank of the river

The Eugenia with scarlet fruit, and another species with rose-coloured fruit, of most exquisite taste--particularly when the seed was abortive, and the pericarp more developed--were abundant on the flats of the river; and Aeling on the ridges

A thunder-storm from the north-east, compelled us to hasten into cae, when heavy rain set in and continued to fall during the first part of the night