hed their early progress: now they must be left to
their fate.

REEMBARKATION.

Amidst such thoughts we resumed our course down the valley and embarked
in the boats; but had not proceeded far when a dog belonging to one of
the men was missed and, as we could not abandon so faithful a companion,
a party returned to search for it, and the dog was brought safely on
board.

SAIL FOR THE MAURITIUS.

We then weighed and sailed for the Isle of France, where we arrived on
the 17th May without having met with any circumstance on our voyage
worthy of record.

CHAPTER 11. NATURAL HISTORY. CLIMATE. ABORIGINES.

NATURAL HISTORY.

North-Western Australia seems to be peculiarly prolific in birds,
reptiles, and insects, who dwell here nearly unmolested, mutually preying
upon each other, and thus, by a wise provision, setting the necessary
check to their own multiplication.

DISTRIBUTION OF ANIMALS.

Of quadrupeds there are but few species, and of these the individuals,
considered in proportion to the surface they roam over, are rare. The
only species I observed during a residence of five months were four of
kangaroos, namely the large Macropus giganteus ? of Shaw, two smaller
kinds, one of which is the Petrogale brachyotis of Gould, and a kangaroo
rat, which last is always seen amongst the rocks on the sea coast. One
species of opossum, a flying squirrel (Petaurista) two kinds of dog, of
which one is new, rats, and a fieldmouse. Of these the kangaroos are
alone numerous, and only in particular spots.

NEW KANGAROO.

I shot a female kangaroo of the Petrogale brachyotis near Hanover Bay,
and by the preservation of the skin and other parts enabled Mr. Gould to
identify it as a new species.

This graceful little animal is excessively wild and shy in its habits,
frequenting, in the daytime, the highest and most inaccessible rocks, and
only descending into the valleys to feed early in the morning and late in
the evening. When disturbed in the daytime amongst the roughest and most
precipitous rocks, it bounds along from one to the other with the
greatest apparent facility, and is so watchful and wary in its habits
that it is by no means easy to get a shot at it. One very surprising
thing is, how it can support the temperature to which it is exposed in
the situations it always frequents amongst the burning sandstone rocks,
the mercury there during the heat of the day being frequently at 136
degrees. I have never seen these a