Return homewards.

November 12.

I found our invalid so much recovered to-day, that I determined on making a short march homewards in the cool of the early morning.  We reached Tortoise Reach by 8 o’clock A.M. where we passed the day.  During our morning’s walk I again had the luck to knock over a kangaroo.  It was a female, and had a very young one in its pouch.  It is worthy of remark that most of those I killed were does, with young ones of different ages, which afforded Mr. Bynoe the means of making some interesting observations on the manner in which they are brought forth, which will be found further on in the part of the work relating to Houtman’s Abrolhos, where more opportunities occurred of arriving at a satisfactory result.  Mr. Bynoe added here to his collection of birds, to which also, I was so fortunate as to be able to contribute a beautiful specimen of a rifle-green glossy ibis, common in Europe.  I tried the water with a very roughly manufactured fly:  the fish rose repeatedly at it, though there was scarcely a ripple, and notwithstanding my own want of success under these unpropitious circumstances, I feel perfectly satisfied that with proper tackle, and on a favourable day, this prince of sports might be enjoyed on the Victoria.

Wickham heights.

I availed myself of the opportunity of our halt at this place to wash my only suit, piece by piece, and afterwards made a sketch of the north-eastern part of Wickham Heights from the dry flat in the reach.  The woodcut annexed will convey at once to the reader, those singular features in the hills—­the low line of cliffs resembling fortifications near their summit, and, still more remarkable, the horizontal black streaks near their base.

New tortoise.

We here found the back-shell of one of the largest of the water-tortoises, from which the reach was named.  It measured ten inches, was very narrow at the fore part, where the continuous line of the margin was broken by an arch where the head protrudes, and was much expanded posteriorly.  It resembled greatly the Chelidona oblonga, inhabiting Western Australia, with the exception of the arch and its more oval shape; and as in that kind, the last vertebral plate was divided by a suture.  A shell of a Victoria River tortoise has been deposited in the British Museum.  We here noticed many varieties of turbinated shells, and among them a small buccinum; beside mussels.  At a native fireplace I saw heaps of the latter, as well as the bones of young alligators; portions of the jaws with teeth were picked up.

The temperature during the day ranged from 90 to 105 degrees in the shade.  A light breeze from north-west in the evening succeeded a long calm.  Before sunset I got a peep at the eastern side of a valley, before noticed, in the direction of our route back, and felt convinced that by crossing it we should avoid Thirsty Flat, and shorten the route to the boats.