cannot be built on. It is separated from the north
terrace by the river Torrens. Like many Australian rivers, the
Torrens starts up in various places and does not seem to have either
a beginning or an ending. It might be compared to the "sullen mole
that runneth underneath," between Letherhead and Dorking; but these
Australian rivers, when they do appear, are inclined to stagnate.
The municipality of Adelaide, however, have wisely dammed up the
river, and converted it into a lake of about one and a half miles
long, thus improving an eyesore into an ornament. It is spanned by a
handsome bridge. Near the north terrace, too, are the Botanical
Gardens, one of the best in Australia. The Zoological Gardens are
close by, where there is a black cockatoo and a white peacock.

As I said before, Adelaide is the only town of any size. There are
others, however. One day I went with my friend by train to the small
town of Gawler, which is about 25 miles to the north. The train
takes about one and a half hours. There we were met by a gentleman
with a trap, who took us to see an ostrich farm about four miles
from Gawler. It belongs to a company at Adelaide and we had an order
from head quarters to be shown over it. Ostriches have been imported
into South Australia from the Cape of Good Hope, and thrive here
well enough. At length, seeing the risk of a sharp competition in
ostrich feathers, the Cape authorities have laid an embargo of L100
on every ostrich exported, but this is locking the stable door when
the horse has escaped, for there are now in South Australia quite
sufficient birds to keep up the breed. The farm manager was a dry
old Scotchman of much humour, and had made himself accustomed to
their ways. The farm was about 170 acres in extent, and at this time
there were about 100 ostriches upon it, a number having recently
been sent away north to Port Augusta, where is another farm
belonging to the same Company. Some of the birds had committed
suicide on their way to the sea. They will run up against palings or
wire, get their long necks entangled, and sometimes cut their
throats in trying to extricate themselves. I noticed one that had
his throat bandaged up on this account. The birds are kept in
paddocks, three or four together, or more, if young and tame, but
some are very savage. We drove through all the paddocks, but the
manager kept a sharp look-out, lest any should "bounce" at us. An
ostrich, in attacking, kicks forward