y remained at a respectful distance.

August 15.

We began to discover some signs of vegetation in the earth. Blades of
green grass appeared among the yellow stalks, and on the plains we found
a new species of Danthonia;* the whole country indeed already wore a
better appearance than on any part of the Darling. We passed our station
of 22nd May about a mile and encamped close to a good pond. Several
natives' huts were near, at which the fires were still burning; the
inhabitants having fled; but I forbade the men to go near these huts, or
touch a stone hatchet and some carved boomerangs which had been left
behind. A native dog lay as if watching these implements; and it barked
on my approaching one of the huts, a circumstance unusual in one of these
animals. Soon after four natives came up shouting, and two of them having
advanced in front, sat down, but we took no notice of them, thinking that
they had followed from the last camp, and belonged to the fire-stick
visitors; they called back the fugitives however and encamped together on
a pond lower down.

(*Footnote. Danthonia lappacea, Lindley manuscripts; spicis geminatis
foliis brevioribus, palea inferiore sericea cornea; laciniis lateralibus
foliatis divaricatis arista rigida brevioribus.)

August 16.

As we moved off about eight this morning the blacks hung about in groups
but we paid no attention to them. We had now, happily for both parties,
arrived where the natives had probably heard of firearms, and of the
numerous white men beyond the hills, neither were the blacks of these
parts ever known to behave like the savages on the lower Darling. I
sought in vain for my lost telescope during this day's journey; the
natives having probably found it, as the whole line of our track was much
marked with their footsteps. We reached our former camp of May 20 and 21
by two o'clock, and again pitched our tents near that spot.

August 17.

Nineteen of our bullocks had strayed during the night, but were found
about seven miles back, in a scrub near the Bogan. We did not therefore
start until ten o'clock, but were able nevertheless to cross the Pink
hills, and reach our ground of May 19.

DISCOVERY OF THE CAPER-TREE.

Today I fell in with a tree of which I saw but a single specimen during
my former journey,* and I had observed only a sickly one before during
this expedition. It bore a yellow flower, and fruit resembling a small
pomegranate, on a hooked stalk. I had unf