ntinue our course, as the nature of
the country renders an advance quite impracticable unless by following
watercourses.

Latitude by Canopus, Castor and Pollux 19 degrees 40 minutes 45 seconds.

2nd March.

Left our camp at 6.30 a.m., and steered south-west by west, which soon
took us into the sandy desert on the left bank of the creek. Crossing one
of the sand ridges, got a sight of a range of low sandstone hills to the
south-east, the highest of which I named Mount Mueller, as the doctor had
seen them the previous evening while collecting plants on one of the
sandy ridges near the camp. At 10.15 again made the creek, which had
scarcely any channel to mark its course; the wide clay flat bearing marks
of former inundations was the only indication visible. At 12.35 p.m.
camped at a small muddy pool, the grass very scanty and dry. Traces of
natives are frequent. Large flights of pigeons feed on the plains on the
seeds of grass. A flock of cockatoos was also seen.

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 19 degrees 51 seconds 12 minutes.

3rd March.

At 5.30 a.m. started and followed the creek on a general course
south-west. There was a very irregular channel sometimes ten yards wide
and very shallow, and then expanding into pools fifty yards wide. The
sandy plain encroached much on the grassy flats, and reduced the winter
course of the creek to half a mile in breadth. At 8.0 the course was
changed to south, and at 10.15 camped at a swamp, which was nearly dry,
and covered with beautiful grass. The country differed in character from
that seen yesterday, there being a few scattered white-gum trees and
patches of tall acacia. Salsola and salicornia are also very abundant,
and show the saline nature of the soil.

Latitude by Canopus and Pollux 20 degrees 2 minutes 10 seconds.

SALT LAKES.

4th March.

Left the camp at 5.50 a.m., and steered south-west over a very level
country, with shallow hollows filled with a dense growth of acacia, and
at 7.30 struck the creek with a sandy channel and narrow flats, covered
with salsola and salicornia. The pools were very shallow, and gradually
became salt, and at 10.15 it spread into the dry bed of a salt lake more
than a mile in diameter. This was connected by a broad channel with a
pool of salt-water in it, with a second dry salt lake eight miles in
diameter. As there was little prospect of water ahead and the day far
advanced, we returned to one of the brackish pools and encamped.