well grassed open forest. Conglomerate and sandstone cropped out in
several sections. Mosquitoes and sandflies were very trouble-some. I
found a species of snail nearly resembling Succinea, in the fissures of
the bark of the Myal, on the Box, and in the moist grass. The
muscle-shells are of immense size. The well-known tracks of Blackfellows
are everywhere visible; such as trees recently stripped of their bark,
the swellings of the apple-tree cut off to make vessels for carrying
water, honey cut out, and fresh steps cut in the trees to climb for
opossums. Our latitude was 26 degrees 49 minutes. The thermometer was
41 1/2 at sunrise; but in the shade, between 12 and 2 o'clock, it stood at
80 degrees, and the heat was very great, though a gentle breeze and
passing clouds mitigated the power of the scorching sun.

Oct. 8.--During the night, we had a tremendous thunder-storm, with much
thunder and lightning from the west. The river was very winding, so that
we did not advance more than 7 or 8 miles W.N.W.; the Bricklow scrub
compelled us frequently to travel upon the flood-bed of the river. Fine
grassy forest-land intervened between the Bricklow and Myal scrubs; the
latter is always more open than the former, and the soil is of a rich
black concretionary character. The soil of the Bricklow scrub is a stiff
clay, washed out by the rains into shallow holes, well known by the
squatters under the name of melon-holes; the composing rock of the low
ridges was a clayey sandstone (Psammite). Sky cloudy; wind north-east;
thermometer 80 degrees at 2 o'clock; the sunshine plant (Mimosa
terminalis) was frequent on the black soil; a Swainsonia; an Anthericum,
with allium leaf and fine large yellow blossoms; and another species with
small blossoms, (Stypandra).

Oct. 9.--Commenced with cloudy weather, threatening rain. It cleared up,
however, about 10 o'clock, and we had a very warm day. We followed the
course of the river for some time, which is fringed with Myal scrubs,
separated by hills with fine open forest. Finding that the river trended
so considerably to the northward [It seems that NORTHWARD here is merely
miswritten for WESTWARD.--(ED.)], we left it at a westerly bend, hoping
to make it again in a north-west direction. Thus, we continued travelling
through a beautiful undulating country, until arrested by a Bricklow
scrub, which turned us to the south-west; after having skirted it, we
were enabled to resume our course to W.N.W