with small plains and box-flats, extended
generally to the northward. Some of the hills were open at their summits,
timbered with apple-gum, and covered with white ant-hills; their bases
were surrounded with thickets of the Severn tree. We encamped at a fine
Nymphaea lagoon, in the rich shade of a white drooping gum tree. A large
but dry creek was near us to the westward. The grass was excellent.

August 2.--We travelled twelve miles west-north-west, over a fine
box-flat, crossed a good sized creek, about five miles from the camp,
and, to the westward of it, passed over seven miles of Ironbark ridges.
We descended from them into the valley of a creek fringed with the
white-gum tree, and followed it down for about three miles before we
found water. We encamped at a good water-hole, at the foot of the ridges,
in latitude 18 degrees 0 minutes 42 seconds. Brown and Charley, who had
gone two miles lower down, told me that they had found salt-water, and
deposits of very fine salt. Many lagoons were on the flats, surrounded by
Polygonums, and frequented by ducks, spoonbills, and various aquatic
birds. They had shot, however, only one teal and a spoonbill. In
travelling down the creek, we frequently started wallabies. Geophaps
plumifera was very frequent on the Ironbark ridges. A cormorant with
white breast and belly, and the rose cockatoo were shot; the former
tasted as well as a duck. Brown collected a good quantity of the gum of
Terminalia, and the seeds of the river bean, which made an excellent
coffee. The native bee was very abundant.

The natives seemed to have burned the grass systematically along every
watercourse, and round every water-hole, in order to have them surrounded
with young grass as soon as the rain sets in. These burnings were not
connected with camping places, where the fire is liable to spread from
the fire-places, and would clear the neighbouring ground. Long strips of
lately burnt grass were frequently observed extending for many miles
along the creeks. The banks of small isolated water-holes in the forest,
were equally attended to, although water had not been in either for a
considerable time. It is no doubt connected with a systematic management
of their runs, to attract game to particular spots, in the same way that
stockholders burn parts of theirs in proper seasons; at least those who
are not influenced by the erroneous notion, that burning the grass
injures the richness and density of the natural