of
tolerable size shaded by large trees. The native name of this place was
"Chouraknarup," a name by no means so harmonious as the names of their
places generally are. We had not commenced any collection at this time,
there being nothing new either in the animals or plants, but I observed
that everything was much more forward on this part of the river than near
Lake Bonney, although there was no material difference between the two
places in point of latitude. A meridian altitude of the sun gave our
latitude 34 degrees 1 minutes 33 seconds S., and one of Altair 34 degrees
2 minutes 2 seconds S.

The night of the 6th Sept. was frosty and cold, and we had thick ice in
the buckets. We left our camp on a N. by E. course, at 8 o'clock on the
morning of the 7th, and at 4 miles struck the river, where its breadth
was considerable, and it looked exceedingly well. The flooded state of
the creeks however prevented our again approaching it for several days.
Shortly after leaving the river we turned more to the eastward, having
gained its most northern reach. About noon we fell in with a few natives,
who did not trouble themselves much about us, but we found that their
backwardness was rather the result of timidity at seeing such a party
than anything else. We traversed large and well-grassed flats almost all
day long, and ultimately encamped on the banks of a creek of some size,
opposite to our tents the floods had made an island, on which we put our
cattle for security during the night.

Mr. Eyre and I were again disappointed in an attempt to gain the banks of
the Murray, but we returned to the camp with a numerous retinue of men,
women, and children, who treated us to a corrobori at night. The several
descriptions which have been given by others of these scenes, might
render it unnecessary for me to give my account of such here; but as my
ideas of these ceremonies may differ from that of other travellers, I
shall trespass on the patience of my readers for a few moments to
describe them. However rude and savage a corrobori may appear to those to
whom they are new, they are, in truth, plays or rather dramas, which it
takes both time and practice to excel in. Distant tribes visiting any
other teach them their corrobori, and the natives think as much of them
as we should do of the finest play at Covent Garden. Although there is a
great sameness in these performances they nevertheless differ. There is
always a great bustle when a co