lso of vervain and
burr. The long-podded cassia was plentiful, and its young seeds tasted
well, but considerably affected the bowels.
Cumuli passed from the north-east during the morning: the afternoon was
clear, and the night bright.
When I returned to the camp on the 11th January, my companions told me,
that upon their journey across the high plains they had observed a high
range to the north-west.
Jan. 12.--I removed my camp down Comet Creek, and followed the Mackenzie
for a few miles, as far as it was easy travelling along its bank. Comet
Creek joins the Mackenzie in a very acute angle; the direction of the
latter being east, and the course of the former, in its lower part,
north-west. Our anglers caught several fine fishes and an eel, in the
water-holes of the Mackenzie. The former belonged to the Siluridae, and
had four fleshy appendages on the lower lip, and two on the upper; dorsal
fin 1 spine 6 rays, and an adipose fin, pectoral 1 spine 8 rays; ventral
6 rays; anal 17 rays; caudal 17-18 rays; velvety teeth in the upper and
lower jaws, and in the palatal bones. Head flat, belly broad; back of a
greenish silver-colour; belly silvery white; length of the body 15-20
inches. It made a singular noise when taken out of the water.
We found here Unios of a fine pink and purple colour inside the valves,
and a new species of Cyclas with longitudinal ribs. Small black ants, and
little flies with wings crossing each other, annoy us very much, the one
creeping all over our bodies and biting us severely, and the other
falling into our soup and tea, and covering our meat; but the strong
night-breeze protects us from the mosquitoes. A pretty lizard (Tiliqua)
of small size, with yellowish spots on a brown ground, was caught, and
seemed to be plentiful here about. The Acacia, with very long linear
drooping leaves, that had been observed at the Dawson, re-appeared both
on Comet Creek and the banks of the Mackenzie. Our latitude was 23
degrees 33 minutes 38 seconds.
Jan. 13.--We travelled about nine miles E.N.E. over the high land, and
through open forest land, and several plains skirted on both sides by
scrub. I observed a new species of Flindersia, a small tree about thirty
feet high, with thin foliage and very regular branches, forming a spire.
The latitude was 23 degrees 29 minutes.
Jan. 14.--After travelling about three miles in a north-easterly
direction along the banks of the river--having, at about a mile from o
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