p,
I ascended three mountains, and ascertained that there are five parallel
ranges, striking from north to south, of which the three easterly ones
send their waters to the eastward; whereas the two westerly ones send
theirs to the Boyd, the valley of which has a south-westerly direction.
To the north of the Boyd, there is a steep mountain barrier, striking
from east to west. All these ranges are composed of sandstone, with their
horizontal strata, some of which have a very fine grain. Impressions of
Calamites were observed in one of the gullies. We also saw two kangaroos.
In the water-hole near our camp, there were numerous small brown leeches,
which were very keen in the water, but dropped off as soon as we lifted
our feet out of it. The hornets also were very troublesome. Recent bush
fires and still smoking trees betokened the presence of natives; who
keep, however, carefully out of sight. This country, with its dry scrubby
ranges and its deep rocky gullies, seems to be thinly inhabited; the
natives keeping, probably, to the lower course of Robinson's Creek and of
the Boyd. The descent to the easterly waters is much more gentle; water
remains longer in the deep rocky basins or puddled holes of its creeks,
and the vegetation is richer and greener. Instead of the cypress-pine
scrub, the Corypha-palm and the Casuarina grew here, and invited us to
cool shaded waters; the Corypha-palm promised a good supply of cabbage.
We had a thunder-storm from the southward, which turned from the range to
the eastward. The two last days were cloudless and very hot; but, on the
ranges, a cool breeze was stirring from the northward.

Nov. 30.--I wished to move my camp to a small water-hole about eight
miles east by north, which I had found yesterday; but, though I kept more
to the northward than I thought necessary, we were everywhere intercepted
by deep rocky gullies. Losing much time in heading them, I ventured to
descend one of the more practicable spurs, and, to my great satisfaction,
my bullocks did it admirably well. The valley into which I entered was
very different from these barriers; gentle slopes, covered with open
forest of silver-leaved Ironbark, and most beautifully grassed,
facilitated my gradual descent to the bottom of the valley, which was
broad, flat, thinly timbered with flooded-gum and apple-trees, densely
covered with grass, and, in the bed of the creek which passed through it,
well provided with reedy water-holes. Be