ert, named
"Albinia Downs." To the north-west, the mountain with the hummock lay
close before us, throwing out subordinate spurs to the westward. In
riding to the most northerly end of it, I fell in with a small
water-course, which led me to a large creek coming from the south-west
and west-south-west, with fine Casuarinas fringing its banks and forming
a dark tortuous line amongst the light green foliage of the trees on the
neighbouring flats. About six miles lower down, it was joined by the
scrub creek on which we were encamped.

The sandy bed of the creek was entirely dry, and we must have encamped
without water after a long and fatiguing ride, had not a heavy
thunder-shower supplied us; we caught the rain in our pannikins as it
dropt from our extended blankets.

The thunder-storm had passed, and the sun had set, when Brown, my
blackfellow, suddenly threw back the blanket under which we sat, and
pointed out to me a fine comet in a small clear spot of the western sky.
I afterwards learned that this comet had been observed as early as the
1st December; but our constant travelling in level forest land had
prevented us from seeing it before. The creek received the appropriate
name of "Comet Creek."

Dec. 29.--Following the creek down, we found water in chains of ponds,
and watercourses coming from a belt of scrub occupying the ground between
the creek and the mountains. Fine, though narrow, but well-grassed flats
extended along Comet Creek. We observed growing on the creek, the dwarf
Koorajong (Grewia), a small rough-leaved fig tree, a species of Tribulus,
and the native Portulaca. The latter afforded us an excellent salad; but
was much more acid than I had found it in other parts of the country,
where I had occasionally tasted it. The native melon of the Darling Downs
and of the Gwyder, grew here also. Of animals, we saw several kangaroos,
emus, native companions, and wallabies.

During our return to the camp, a hot wind blew from the south-west across
Albinia Downs: the great extent of which sufficiently accounted for the
high temperature. The only thermometer I had was unfortunately broken
shortly after we started; this loss was severely felt by me throughout
the journey, as we had no means of ascertaining the exact temperature. I
made the latitude of our camp at Scrub Creek to be 24 degrees 25 minutes
42 seconds.

Dec. 30.--We travelled about seven miles to the north-east, crossed Comet
Creek, and encamped at s