, travelling through a most
beautiful open Ironbark forest, with the grass in full seed, from three
to four feet high. Following a hollow, in which the fall of the country
was indicated by the grass bent by the run of water after heavy showers
of rain, we came to fine water-holes, about five miles from our last
camp.

At the other side of the valley, we saw distant ranges to the north-west
and northward. The scrub was occasionally more open, and fine large
bottle-trees (Sterculia) were frequent: the young wood of which,
containing a great quantity of starch between its woody fibres, was
frequently chewed by our party. Fusanus was abundant and in full bearing;
its fruit (of the size of a small apple), when entirely ripe and dropped
from the tree, furnished a very agreeable repast: the rind, however,
which surrounds its large rough kernel, is very thin.

Oct. 27.--During last night a very strong, cold, westerly wind.

After travelling about 3 1/2 miles north, we were stopped by a Bricklow
scrub, which compelled us to go to the east and south-east. I encamped,
about three miles north-east by north from my last resting place, and
examined the scrub: it was out of the question to cross it. Mr. Gilbert
shot three black cockatoos and a bronze-winged pigeon.

Oct. 28.--During the night it was very cold, though no wind was stirring.
In the morning we experienced an easterly breeze. Travelling to the
eastward and east by south, I found that the water-holes outside of the
scrub at which we were encamped, changed into a creek with rocky bed,
having its banks partly covered with cypress-pine thickets. I crossed it
about three miles lower down, and, finding the Ironbark forest
sufficiently open, turned to the northward; scarcely three miles farther,
we came to another creek of a character similar to that of the last,
which I suppose to be one of the heads of Dogwood Creek. The blue
Brunonia was again frequent; the grass five feet high, in full ear, and
waving like a rye field. The soil, however, is sandy and rotten, and the
grass in isolated tufts. We encamped about four miles north-east from our
last camp.

CHAPTER II

PARTY REDUCED BY THE RETURN OF MR. HODGSON AND CALEB--MEET FRIENDLY
NATIVES--NATIVE TOMB--THE DAWSON--VERVAIN PLAINS--GILBERT'S RANGE--LYND'S
RANGE--ROBINSON'S CREEK--MURPHY'S LAKE--MOUNTAINOUS COUNTRY--EXPEDITION
RANGE--MOUNT NICHOLSON--ALDIS'S PEAK--THE BOYD.

Nov. 3.--For the past week, the heat