this he
did in his anxiety to procure a pair of Geophaps plumifera, for his
collection. These pretty little pigeons had been first observed by Brown
in the course of our yesterday's stage, who shot two of them, but they
were too much mutilated to make good specimens. We frequently saw them
afterwards, but never more than two, four, or six together, running with
great rapidity and with elevated crest over the ground, and preferring
the shady rocks along the sandy bed of the river. I tried several methods
to render the potatoes, which we had found in the camps of the natives,
eatable; but neither roasting nor boiling destroyed their sickening
bitterness. At last, I pounded and washed them, and procured their
starch, which was entirely tasteless, but thickened rapidly in hot water,
like arrow-root; and was very agreeable to eat, wanting only the addition
of sugar to make it delicious; at least so we fancied.

June 8.--We travelled about nine miles west-north-west. The country was
in general open, with soft ground on the more extensive flats; although
sandstone ranges approached the river in many places. Four good-sized
creeks entered the river from the southward. The sandstone, or psammite,
was composed of large grains of quartz mixed with clay of a whitish red
or yellow colour; it frequently formed steep cliffs and craggy rugged
little peaks.

The stringy-bark grew to a fine size on the hills, and would yield,
together with Ironbark and the drooping tea-tree, the necessary timber
for building. A new species of Melaleuca and also of Boronia were found,
when entering upon the sandstone formation.

The wind for the last few days has been westerly; cumuli forming during
the day, dissolved towards sunset; the days were very hot, the nights
mild and dry. It was evident that we had descended considerably into the
basin of the gulf.

June 9.--We travelled about ten miles north-west. Box-tree flats, of more
or less extent, were intercepted by abrupt barren craggy hills composed
of sandstone, which seemed to rest on layers of argillaceous rock. The
latter was generally observed at the foot of the hills and in the bed of
the river; it had in most places been worn by the action of water. The
stringy-bark became even numerous on the flats, in consequence of the
more sandy nature of the soil: but the hills were scrubby, and Mr.
Gilbert reported that he had even seen the Bricklow. The grass of the
Isaacs grew from twelve to fifteen