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and sore that the slightest movement was painful; the rainy season was however now so near that it would not do to lose a single day of preparation. Directly after breakfast therefore, whilst one boat went off to search for fresh water and a convenient spot to land the stores at, I accompanied the Captain of the vessel in another up Prince Regent's River. EFFECT OF TIDES. In general the openings to these rivers from the sea are very narrow, forming gorges which terminate in extensive basins, some fifteen or twenty miles inland; the levels of these reservoirs are subject to be raised thirty-seven feet by every tide through their funnel-like entrances, along which the waters consequently pour with a velocity of which it is difficult to form any adequate idea. By such a tide were we swept along as we entered this river by its southern mouth. On each side of us rose lofty red sandstone cliffs; sometimes quite precipitous, sometimes, from ancient landslips, shelving gradually down to the water, and at these points covered with a dense tropical vegetation. GREEN ANTS. At several such places we landed, but always found the ascent to the interior so covered with large loose rocks that it would have been impossible to have disembarked stores or stock on any. The thickness of the vegetation made it difficult to force a way through, and whenever, in attempting so to do, a tree was shaken, numbers of a large green sort of ant fell from the boughs on the unhappy trespasser and, making the best of their way to the back of his neck, gave warning by a series of most painful bites that he was encroaching on their domain. Yet it was sometimes ludicrous to see one of the party momentarily stamping and roaring with pain, as he cried out to a companion to hasten and assist him in getting rid of an enemy at once so diminutive and so troublesome. PARRAKEETS. We saw a great number of beautiful parakeets, as well as a remarkable hawk of a bright cinnamon colour, with a milk-white head and neck. As there was no apparent probability of our finding hereabouts a spot suited to land our stock and stores at we returned in the afternoon to the schooner, and found that the party in the other boat had been as unsuccessful as ourselves. DESCRIPTION OF LANDING-PLACE, AND ENCAMPMENT AT HANOVER BAY. December 5. The long-boat was this morning despatched to the ravine where we had procured water on the first day of our landing to bring
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