Brown rendered himself very useful to us in shooting ducks, which were
very numerous on the water-holes; and he succeeded several times in
killing six, eight, or ten, at oneshot; particularly the Leptotarsis,
GOULD, (whistling duck) which habitually crowd close together on the
water.
Native companions were also numerous, but these birds and the
black cockatoos were the most wary of any that we met. Whilst travelling
with our bullocks through the high grass, we started daily a great number
of wallabies; two of which were taken by Charley and John Murphy,
assisted by our kangaroo dog. Brown, who had gone to the lower part of
the long pool of water near our encampment, to get a shot at some
sheldrakes (Tadorna Raja), returned in a great hurry, and told me that he
had seen a very large and most curious fish dead, and at the water's
edge. Messrs. Gilbert and Calvert went to fetch it, and I was greatly
surprised to find it a sawfish (Pristis), which I thought lived
exclusively in salt water. It was between three and four feet in length,
and only recently, perhaps a few days, dead. It had very probably come up
the river during a flood, for the water-hole in which the creature had
been detained, had no connection with the tiny stream, which hardly
resisted the absorbing power of the sands. Another question was, what
could have been the cause of its death? as the water seemed well tenanted
with small fish. We supposed that it had pursued its prey into shallow
water, and had leaped on the dry land, in its efforts to regain the deep
water. Charley also found and brought me the large scales of the fish of
the Mackenzie, and the head-bones of a large guard-fish.
June 11. - We travelled about eight miles due north. The bed of the river
was very broad; and an almost uninterrupted flat, timbered with box and
apple-gum, extended along its banks. We were delighted with the most
exquisite fragrance of several species of Acacia in blossom.
June 12. - We travelled about nine miles N.N.W. to lat. 16 degrees 55
minutes. The flats were again interrupted by sandstone ranges. One large
creek, and several smaller ones joined the river.
June 13. - We accomplished nine miles to-day in a N.N.W. direction. The
country was partly rocky; the rock was a coarse conglomerate of broken
pieces of quartz, either white or coloured with oxide of iron; it greatly
resembled the rock of the Wybong hills on the upper Hunter, and was
equally worn and excavated. The flats were limited, and timbered with
apple-gum, box, and blood-wood, where the sand was mixed with a greater
share of clay; and with stringy-bark on the sandy rocky soil; also with
flooded-gum, in the densely grassed hollows along the river. The Severn
tree, the Acacia of Expedition Range, and the little bread tree, were
frequent along the banks of the river. A species of Stravadium attracted
our attention by its loose racemes of crimson coloured flowers, and of
large three or four ribbed monospermous fruit; it was a small tree, with
bright green foliage, and was the almost constant companion of the
permanent water-holes. As its foliage and the manner of its growth
resemble the mangrove, we called it the Mangrove Myrtle.
Brown shot fifteen ducks, mostly Leptotarsis Eytoni, GOULD.; and Charley
a bustard (Otis Australasianus), which saved two messes of our meat.
The river was joined by a large creek from the south-west, and by several
small ones; we passed a very fine lagoon, at scarcely three miles from
our last camp.
June 14. - We travelled nine miles north by west, to lat. 16 degrees 38
minutes. The box-tree flats were very extensive, and scattered over with
small groves of the Acacia of Expedition Range. The narrow-leaved
Ironbark had disappeared with the primitive rocks; the moment sandstone
commenced, stringy-bark took its place. We passed some lagoons, crossed a
good sized creek from the south-west, and saw a small lake in the
distance. At the latter part of the stage the country became more
undulating. The edges of the stiff shallows were densely covered with the
sharp pointed structures of the white ants, about two or three feet high.
They were quite as frequent at the upper part of the river, where I
omitted to mention them. We saw a very interesting camping place of the
natives, containing several two-storied gunyas, which were constructed in
the following manner: four large forked sticks were rammed into the
ground, supporting cross poles placed in their forks, over which bark was
spread sufficiently strong and spacious for a man to lie upon; other
sheets of stringy-bark were bent over the platform, and formed an arched
roof, which would keep out any wet. At one side of these constructions,
the remains of a large fire were observed, with many mussel-shells
scattered about. All along the Lynd we had found the gunyas of the
natives made of large sheets of stringy-bark, not however supported by
forked poles, but bent, and both ends of the sheet stuck into the ground;
Mr. Gilbert thought the two-storied gunyas were burial places; but we met
with them so frequently afterwards, during our journey round the gulf,
and it was frequently so evident that they had been recently inhabited,
that no doubt remained of their being habitations of the living, and
constructed to avoid sleeping on the ground during the wet season.
June 15. - We travelled about nine miles and a half down the river, over a
country like that of yesterday, the tree vegetation was, however, more
scanty, the forest still more open, the groves of Acacia larger. Brown
returned with two sheldrakes (Tadorna Raja), four black ducks (Anas Novae
Hollandiae), four teals (Querquedula castanea); and brought the good news
that the Lynd joined a river coming from the south-east, with a rapid
stream to the westward.
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