a point. The heads of the flowers, resembling a pineapple in shape and
size, and of a beautiful crimson colour, are produced on the top of a
strong flower-stem, 18 inches high, and they will retain their shape and
colour a month after being cut. This plant appears to be very local in
its habits, as I only caught sight of it by the side of three creeks, and
always in moist, shady places. I obtained seeds, and also packed some of
its fleshy, tuberous roots in a tin case.

We saw but few wallabies; and not one kangaroo or emu had as yet been
seen by any of the party. The country was not open enough for them to
inhabit.

July 7.

We started at daylight, proceeding over open forest ground covered with
long grass, very thick and luxuriant. Travelling was rendered still more
difficult by the large logs of dead wood which strewed the ground in
every direction, and which much impeded the progress of the carts. We
camped by the side of a creek, with a narrow belt of scrub on the
south-east side, but apparently a wide extent of it on the other. This
creek had a large sandy bed; with large Castanospermums, Tristanias, and
Sarcocephali growing on its banks, which were rather steep. It had a very
tortuous course, coming from south-west and turning east a little below
our camp, which was in a bend of the creek.

July 8.

We were employed nearly all this day in cutting through very thick scrub
on the other side of the creek. Whilst doing so we had to cross several
other smaller ones, all turning east, and in the evening we camped on a
small patch of open forest land, covered with long coarse grass, and
large blocks of coarse granite rock jutting out here and there.

July 9.

This being Sunday we halted for the day, and prayers were read at eleven
o'clock.

July 10 and 11.

We continued throughout these days cutting through belts of scrub and
crossing small creeks, running from the west and north-west, and turning
east. During the latter day we were visited by a small tribe of natives,
who appeared very friendly and did not stop long. I found a large
quantity of Castanospermum seeds in one of the creeks, apparently put
there to steep by the natives, who use them for food. They informed me
that they steep them in water for five days, and then cut them into thin
slices and dry them in the sun; they are then pounded between two large
stones, and the meal being moistened with water is baked on a flat stone,
raised from the grou