the last new
moon? how far have we travelled since? and where shall we be at the
next?--were invariably discussed amongst us; calculations were made as to
the time that would be required to bring us to the end of our journey,
and there was no lack of advice offered as to what should, and ought to
be done.

At several of our last camps the cry of the goat suckers, and the hooting
of owls, were heard the whole night; and immediately after sunset, the
chirping of several kinds of crickets was generally heard, the sound of
which was frequently so metallic, as to be mistaken for the tinkling of
our bell. At Separation Creek, we first met with the ring-tailed opossum;
and, on the table land, often heard its somewhat wailing cry.

June 5.--We travelled, in a direct line, about nine miles west by north,
down the river, although the distance along its banks was much greater;
for it made a large bend at first to the northward, and afterwards, being
turned by a fine conspicuous short range, to the westward. I named the
Range after W. Kirchner, Esq., another of the supporters of my
expedition. The river was here, in some places, fully half a mile broad,
and formed channels covered with low shrubs, among which a myrtle was
frequent. Between the ranges, the river became narrower: and, before it
reached Kirchner's Range, a large creek joined it from the eastward; and
another from the southward, after it had passed the range. The flats
increased on both side of the river, and were openly timbered with box
and narrow-leaved Ironbark. The rock near our yesterday's camp was
talc-schist. Farther down sienite was observed, which contained so much
hornblende as to change occasionally into hornblende rock, with scattered
crystals of quartz. Granite and pegmatite were round some lagoons near
the creek from the southward. The clustered fig tree of the Burdekin,
became again more frequent; but Sarcocephalus was the characteristic tree
of the river. The Acacia of Expedition Range and of the upper Lynd, grew
to a comparatively large size in the open forest. We observed a cotton
tree (Cochlospermum), covered with large yellow blossoms, though entirely
leafless; and we could not help thinking how great an ornament this plant
would be to the gardens of the colony.

As the water-holes became larger, water-fowl became more plentiful; and
Brown succeeded in shooting several wood-ducks and a Malacorhyncus
membranaceus. The bean of the Mackenzie was ver