which the creek
flowed. To the north of the creek the country undergoes a great
change. At first there is a little earthy land subject to
inundation. The soil then becomes more sandy, with stony pans in
which water collects after rain; the whole country is slightly
undulating, lightly timbered, and splendidly grassed. A number of
small disconnected creeks are scattered about, many of which
contained water protected from the sun and wind by luxuriant growth
of fine grasses and small bushes. We passed one or two little rises
of sand and pebbles, on which were growing some trees quite new to
me; but for the seed pods I should have taken them for a species of
Casuarina, although the leaf-stalks have not the jointed
peculiarities of those plants. The trunks and branches are like the
she oak, the leaves like those of a pine; they droop like a willow,
and the seed is small, flat, in a large flat pod, about six inches
by three-quarters of an inch. As we proceeded, the country improved
at every step. Flocks of pigeons rose and flew off to the eastward,
and fresh plants met our view on every rise; everything green and
luxuriant. The horse licked his lips, and tried all he could to
break his nose-string in order to get at the food. We camped at the
foot of a sandy rise, where there was a large stony pan with plenty
of water, and where the feed was equal in quality, and superior as
to variety, to any that I have seen in Australia, excepting perhaps
on some soils of volcanic origin.

Wednesday, 9th January, 1861.--Started at five minutes past five,
without water, trusting to get a supply of water from the rain that
fell during the thunderstorm. Traversed six miles of undulating
plains covered with vegetation richer than ever. Several ducks rose
from the little creeks as we passed, and flocks of pigeons were
flying in all directions. The richness of the vegetation is
evidently not suddenly arising from chance thunderstorms, for the
trees and bushes on the open plain are everywhere healthy and fresh
looking; very few dead ones are to be seen; besides which, the
quantity of dead and rotten grass which at present almost
overpowers in some places the young blades shows that this is not
the first crop of the kind. The grasses are numerous and many of
them unknown to me, but they only constitute a moderate portion of
the herbage. Several kinds of spurious vetches and portulac, as
well as salsolaceae, add to the luxuriance of the vegetati