ainder of the day
to examine the country for some miles to the westward, but there was no
perceptible change in it. The same barren plains, covered sparingly with
salsolae and atriplex, characterised this distant part of the interior;
and sandy ridges covered with stunted cypress trees, acaciae, hakeae, and
other similar shrubs, proved to me that the productions of it were as
unchanged as the soil.

As we had arranged, we broke up our camp earlier than usual on the 1st of
October, for, from what Nadbuck had stated, I imagined that we had a long
journey before us; but after going fifteen miles, we gained the river,
and found that it was again trending to the north. It had now risen more
than bank high, and some of its flats were partly covered with water. We
had kept a N.N.W. course the whole day, and crossed hard plains without
any impediment; but, although we kept at a great distance from the
stream, we did not observe any improvement in the aspect of the country.

Our specimens, both of natural history and botany, were as yet very
scanty; but we found a new and beautiful shrub in blossom, on some of the
plains as we crossed the bight; and Mr. Browne discovered three nests of
a peculiar rat, that have been partially described by Sir Thomas
Mitchell.

Mr. Browne was fortunate enough to secure one of these animals, which is
here figured. The nests they construct are made of sticks, varying in
length from three inches to three feet, and in thickness from the size of
a quill to the size of the thumb. They were arranged in a most systematic
manner, so as to form a compact cone like a bee-hive, four feet in
diameter at the base, and three feet high. This fabric is so firmly
built, as to be pulled to pieces with difficulty. One of these nests had
five holes or entrances from the bottom, nearly equi-distant from each
other, with passages leading to a hole in the ground, beneath which I am
led to conclude they had their store. There were two nests of grass in
the centre of the pyramid, and passages running up to them diagonally
from the bottom. The sticks, which served for the foundations of the
nests, were not more than two or three inches long, and so disposed as to
form a compact flooring, whilst the roofs were arched. The nests were
close together, but in separate compartments, with passages communicating
from the one to the other.

In a pyramid that we subsequently opened, there was a nest nearly at the
top; so that it