did not see them,
or wished to ignore their presence. The horse flies began to be very
troublesome, but the mosquitoes fortunately did not annoy us,
notwithstanding the neighbourhood of the river, and the late rains.
Charley and Brown shot five geese, which gave us a good breakfast and
luncheon.

A strong breeze from the northward set in late every afternoon, since we
had descended into the valley of the South Alligator River.

Nov. 25.--We travelled about seven miles and a half N.W. by W., to lat.
13 degrees 0 minutes 56 seconds. I intended to follow the sandy bergue of
the river, but a dense Pandanus brush soon compelled us to return, and to
head several grassy and sedgy swamps like those we passed on the last
stage. Chains of small water-holes, and Nymphaea ponds, ran parallel to
the river; and very extensive swamps filled the intervals between rather
densely wooded ironstone ridges, which seemed to be spurs of a more hilly
country, protruding into the valley of the river. Some of these swamps
were dry, and had a sound bottom, allowing our cattle to pass without
difficulty. Others, however, were exceedingly boggy, and dangerous for
both horse and man; for Charley was almost suffocated in the mud, in
attempting to procure a goose he had shot. The swamps narrowed towards
the river, and formed large and frequently rocky water-holes, in a well
defined channel, which, however, became broad and deep where it
communicated with the river, and which in many places rivalled it in
size. A belt of drooping tea-trees surrounded the swamps, whilst their
outlets were densely fringed with Pandanus. The Livistona palm and
Cochlospermum gossypium grew on the ridges; the tea-tree, the
stringy-bark, the leguminous Ironbark and Eugenia were useful timber. The
whole country was most magnificently grassed.

A Porphyritic sienite cropped out at the head of the first swamp, about a
mile from our last camp.

We had cut our rifle balls into slugs, with which Charley and Brown shot
three geese (Anseranus melanoleuca, GOULD).

A low range was seen at the south-east end of the large swamp on which we
encamped.

Nov. 26.--We travelled about nine miles and a half N.N.W. to lat. 12
degrees 51 minutes 56 seconds. After having once more seen the river,
where it was joined by the broad outlet of a swamp, I turned to the
northward, and passed over closely-wooded and scrubby ridges of ironstone
and conglomerate, with pebbles and pieces of quartz