(Footnote.  It is found to be an acacia related to A. multinervia.  A. farinosa, Lindley manuscripts; ramulis angulatis glabriusculis, phyllodiis rigidis carnosis incurvis linearibus apice latioribus mucronatis multinerviis glabris:  margine superiore infra medium glanduloso, capitulis 2-4 axillaribus breviter pedunculatis farinosis.)

(**Footnote.  For description see 19th September.)

June 23.

The most eastern of these smooth bare ridges was immediately above our camp and, observing in it the regularity of curve which I had noticed in others, I was struck with the analogy, and in these ridges being always on the eastern shore of hollows or lakes, while the western was irregularly indented, and was in some parts so abrupt as to have the character of cliffs.  The southern end of the ridges was generally the highest.

WATER OF THE LAKES BRACKISH, OR SALT.

Perceiving no reeds near the lake nor any birds upon it I sent Mr. Stapylton to taste the water, which he found to be quite salt, like that of the sea.  This and several of the other basins were surrounded by high ground and were without any communication with the river.

NATIVES FLY AT OUR APPROACH.

I passed soon after another of these circular basins which, although much smaller, presented similar features, and had some rather brackish water in pools in the deepest part.  During the day’s journey we passed several ridges connected with extensive basins in a similar manner, and in the bottom of one of these I perceived Polygonum junceum growing amongst yarra trees.  On the western shore we saw the remains of large native ash-hills.  They were old and overgrown with bushes, but they proved that this lake had once contained mussels and the balyan or bulrush, a root eaten by the natives and cooked in such ovens as these.  The other lake was surrounded by a circle of yarra trees and had but recently become dry, the earth in it being still without vegetation and covered with innumerable native companions and white cockatoos.  Finding no indication of the river, notwithstanding the presence of so many yarra trees, I turned to the east towards another line of them which appeared still more promising.  There however we encountered the dry bed only of a small creek which we crossed, and continued eastward, passing over much grassy land, and through much wood of the box or goborro species of eucalyptus.  We travelled thus upwards of seven miles beyond the dry creek without discovering any sign of the river, although we had previously traced it so far in pursuing a much more southerly direction.

NATIVES FLY AT OUR APPROACH.

The natives were heard in this wood chopping with their stone hatchets but they fled at our approach.  On entering a small plain we saw their deserted fire on the opposite side.  Beyond this another plain, still more extensive, appeared before us, and a few yarra trees on the horizon gave some promise of water, though not of the river.