overed by small loose stones; several salt lakes were seen in various
directions, but no indications of fresh water or springs.

[Note 21: Peron's description of the mountains on the South-western coast,
is singularly applicable to the Gawler range--He says, Tom. III. p. 233.
"Sur ces montagnes pelees on ne voit pas un arbre, pas un arbriseau, pas
un arbuste; rien, en un mot, qui puisse faire souponner l'existence de
queque terre vegetale. La durete du roc paroit braver ici tous les
efforts de la nature, et resister a ces memes moyens de decomposition qu'
elle emploie ailleurs avec tant de succes."]

It was late before the party moved on to-day, but the road was somewhat
better, and there were many intervals of open grassy plains under the
hills along which we travelled, at a course of E. 17 degrees N. for
twenty-five miles. Encamping at night with tolerable grass, but without
water. There had been a considerable pool of rain water here a few days
ago, but it was now nearly dried up by the sun, and I was obliged to
order the horses to be watched during the night.

To-day I found a most splendid creeping plant in flower, growing in
between the ranges, it was quite new to me, and very beautiful; the leaf
was like that of the vetch but larger, the flower bright scarlet, with a
rich purple centre, shaped like a half globe with the convex side
outwards; it was winged, and something like a sweet pea in shape, the
flowers hung pendent upon long slender stalks, very similar to those of
sweet peas, and in the greatest profusion; altogether it was one of the
prettiest and richest looking flowers I have seen in Australia.

September 23.--Moving on over a firm road, but with much scrub and
prickly grass, we travelled for fifteen miles under the hills at a course
of E. 20 degrees N., encamping early in the afternoon close under them,
and procuring a little water left in the hollows by the rains. I ascended
another of the heights in the Gawler range to-day, but could obtain no
clear view from it, the weather being hazy. Ridge behind ridge still
appeared to rise to the north, beyond the front one under which we were
travelling; and several salt lakes were seen among the hills at
intervals. The rock of which the hills were composed was now changed from
a porphoritic granite to a reddish quartz, which was scattered all over
the front hills in loose small fragments. The latitude of our camp was 32
degrees 30 minutes 35 seconds S.

Se