was good. The plain we traversed this
day exactly resembled the best of the ground on the Darling; and in some
places I observed the Quandang bushes,* having their branches covered
with a parasitical plant whose bright crimson flowers were very
ornamental.**

(*Footnote. Fusanus acuminatus.)

(**Footnote. Loranthus quandang, Lindley manuscripts; incanus, foliis
oppositis lineari-oblongis obsolete triplinerviis obtusis, pedunculis
axillaribus folio multo bevioribus apice divaricato-bifidis 6-floris,
floribus pentameris aequalibus, petalis linearibus, antheris linearibus
basi insertis. Next L. gaudichaudi.)

THE MURRUMBIDGEE SEEN FROM THE LACHLAN.

South of the spot where we now encamped the ground, which consisted of
firm red clay, gradually rose; and from a tree Burnett observed the tall
yarras of the Murrumbidgee at a distance of about eight miles. The
latitude observed was 34 degrees 14 minutes 37 seconds South, longitude
144 degrees 25 minutes East.

May 10.

A thick fog prevented the men from getting the cattle together as early
as usual. In the meantime I made a drawing of the native female and the
scenery around; and we finally left the encamping ground at a quarter
before eleven. The first part of this day's journey was over a rising
ground, on leaving which the country seemed as if it descended westward
into a lower basin, so that I took the river Lachlan which lay below to
be already the Murrumbidgee.

RICH TINTS ON THE SURFACE.

We next travelled over a fine hard plain covered very generally with
small bushes of a beautiful orange-flowered, spreading under-shrub, with
broad thin-winged fruit;* but the Mesembryanthemum aequilaterale grew
almost everywhere and seemed to take the place of grass. It crept over
the light red earth, ornamenting it with a rich variety of bright green,
light red, purple, and scarlet tints which, when contrasted with the dead
portions that were all of a pale grey colour, produced a fine harmonious
foreground, fit for any landscape. The plains were intersected by a small
wood of goborro (dwarf box) and after crossing this and keeping the lofty
yarra trees in view we found these trees at length growing on ground
which was intersected by hollows full of reeds, other parts of the
surface bearing a green crop of grass.

(*Footnote. Ropera aurantiaca, Lindley manuscripts; foliolis linearibus
obtusis succulentis petiolo aequalibus, petalis obovatis obtusissimis,
fructibus orbicula