on
exposure to the sun consisted of fragrant herbs, and amongst them we
found the scented trefoil (calomba*) which proved an excellent
anti-scorbutic vegetable when boiled. It was found however only at three
places.

(*Footnote. Trigonella suavissima, for the description of which plant see
above.)

SURFACE OF THE PLAINS.

The surface of the plains nearest the river is unlike any part of the
earth's face that I have elsewhere seen. It is as clear of vegetation as
a fallow field, but it has greater inequality of surface and is full of
holes. The soil is just tenacious enough to crack, when the surface
becomes so soft and loose that the few weeds which may have sprung up
previous to desiccation seldom remain where they grow, being blown out by
the slightest wind. Over such ground it was very fatiguing to walk, the
foot at each step sinking to the ankle, and care being necessary to avoid
holes always ready to receive the whole leg, and sometimes the body. It
was not very safe to ride on horseback even at a walk, and to gallop or
trot in that country was quite out of the question. The labour which this
kind of ground cost the poor bullocks, drawing the heavy carts, reduced
them to so great a state of weakness that six never returned from the
Darling. The work was so heavy for the two first teams on our advancing
into these regions that one team was rendered quite unserviceable by
leading; but on returning we found the beaten track much easier for the
whole party. Notwithstanding these disadvantages we were much indebted to
Providence for the continued dryness of the winter; for although it
seemed then as if nothing short of a deluge could have completed the
saturation, there were also many proofs that great inundations sometimes
occurred; and it was still more obvious that had rainy weather, or any
overflowing of the river happened, we could no longer have travelled on
the banks of the Darling.

GEOLOGY OF THE DARLING.

The rocks about the surface of this country are few and simple. Besides
the clay nothing occurred in the river bed except calcareous concretions,
selenite, and in some parts sandstone similar to that seen at the base of
almost all the hills. Back from the river the first elevation usually
consisted of hillocks of red sand, so soft and loose that the cattle
could scarcely draw the carts through. The clay adjacent to the sand was
firmer than any clay seen elsewhere on the plains because the sand there
a