From One Of The Hills Which Bounded Its
Narrow Valley, I Had A Most Disheartening, Sickening View Over A
Tremendously Rocky Country.
A high land, composed of horizontal strata of
sandstone, seemed to be literally hashed, leaving the remaining blocks in
Fantastic figures of every shape; and a green vegetation, crowding
deceitfully within their fissures and gullies, and covering half of the
difficulties which awaited us on our attempt to travel over it. The
creek, in and along the bed of which we wound slowly down, was frequently
covered with large loose boulders, between which our horses and cattle
often slipped. A precipice, and perpendicular rocks on both sides,
compelled us to leave it; and following one of its tributary creeks to
its head, to the northward, we came to another, which led us down to a
river running to the west by south. With the greatest difficulty we went
down its steep slopes, and established our camp at a large water-hole in
its bed. The longitude of the river was, according to my reckoning, 133
degrees 6 minutes.
A new species of rock pigeon (Petrophassa, GOULD.) with a dark brown
body, primaries light brown without any white, and with the tail feathers
rather worn, lived in pairs and small flocks like Geophaps, and flew out
of the shade of overhanging rocks, or from the moist wells which the
natives had dug in the bed of the creek, around which they clustered like
flies round a drop of syrup. A fine shady Eucalyptus, with a short
barrel, but large spreading branches, and with the grey bark of the box,
grew between the rocks along the creek.
Nov. 12. - We had been compelled to leave the injured horse behind, and
upon going this morning with Charley to fetch it to the camp, we found
the poor brute dead. On our return to the camp, we followed another creek
to the northward, which also joined the river, about eight miles to the
eastward of our camp. The river was densely covered with scrub, and
almost perpendicular cliffs bounded its valley on both sides. Myriads of
flying-foxes were here suspended in thick clusters on the highest trees
in the most shady and rather moist parts of the valley. They started as
we passed, and the flapping of their large membranous wings produced a
sound like that of a hail-storm.
Nov. 13. - The two horses ridden by Charley and myself yesterday, had
suffered so severely, that I had to allow them a day of rest to recover.
In the mean time, I went with Charley and Brown to the spot where we had
seen the greatest number of flying-foxes, and, whilst I was examining the
neighbouring trees, my companions shot sixty-seven, of which fifty-five
were brought to our camp; which served for dinner, breakfast, and
luncheon, each individual receiving eight. The flying-fox lived here on a
small, blue, oval stone-fruit, of an acid taste, with a bitter kernel; it
grew on a tree of moderate size.
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