GARRAWAN.
This scrub, one of the numerous family of accacia, which together
with the pandanus, gave the travellers so much annoyance on their
journey, occupies a large extent of country about the Richardson
range, from the Batavia to Cape York. It much resembles, and is
probably identical with that which grows in the neighbourhood of
Sydney, to the appearance of which, indeed, that part of the
Peninsula closely resembles.
FLOCK PIGEON OF THE GULF ('Phaps Histrionica.')
These beautiful pigeons which are alluded to by Leichhardt, are at
certain seasons found in immense flocks in the plain country about
the Gulf of Carpentaria. Their range is wide, as in 1846 they
appeared in flocks of countless multitudes on the Murrimbidgee River,
N.S.W., probably driven from their usual regions by drought. They
are described and figured in Mr. Gould's great work on the Australian
birds.
THE EINASLEIH.
This river was erroneously supposed by its first settlers to be the
Lynd of Leichhardt. That such was not the case, was proved by
Alexander Jardine, who traced it down for 180 miles from Carpentaria
Downs, when he turned back, within about a day's stage of its
junction with the Gilbert, fully satisfied that it could not be the
Lynd. Since then it has, I believe, been traced into the Gilbert,
and thence to the Gulf. Its importance would lead to the supposition
that it was the principal branch of the Gilbert. There is an
excellent cattle country on the lower part, as described in the text
which has probably ere this been occupied by our pioneers.
THE NONDA ('Parinarium Nonda. F. Mueller.')
This tree so named by Leichhardt's black-boys (described in Bentham's
'Flora Australiensis'), is very abundant north of the Einasleih,
which is possibly the extreme latitude of its zone south. It formed
an important accession to the food of the party, and it is highly
probable that their good health may be attributable to the quantity
of fruit, of which this was the principal, which they were able to
procure, there being no case of scurvy during the journey, a
distemper frequently engendering in settled districts, when there is
no possibility of varying the diet with vegetables. The foliage of
the tree is described as of a bright green, the fruit very abundant,
and much eaten by the natives. It is of about the size and
appearance of a yellow egg plum, and in taste like a mealy potatoe,
with, however, a trace of that astringency so common to Australian
wild fruits. The wood is well adapted for building purposes.
BURDEKIN DUCK ('Tadorna Raja').
This beautiful species of shelldrake, though not numerous, has a wide
range, extending from the richmond river to Cape York. It frequents
the more open flats at the mouths of rivers and creeks.
