(Footnote.  A new and genuine species of Gyrostemon.  Gyrostemon pungens, Lindley manuscripts; foliis rhomboideis acutis glaucis in petiolum angustatis.  The capsules are arranged in a single verticillus and consequently this species will belong to Gyrostemon as distinguished from Codonocarpus by Mr. Endlicher.)

TRAVERSE THE LAND OF LAGOONS BEFORE THE FLOODS COME DOWN.

June 6.

It had rained heavily during the night but the morning was clear.  As we continued our journey the natives were heard in the woods although none appeared.  Fortunately for our progress the floods had not reached the lagoons, and we succeeded in passing the whole of this low tract, so subject to inundations, without difficulty; and we finally encamped within four miles of the ground where we had been obliged to disperse the Darling tribes.  We pitched our tents on the eastern side of the lagoon where we found an agreeable shelter from the storm in some scrub which, on former occasions, we should not have thought so comfortable a neighbour.  We could now enter such thickets with greater safety; and in this we found a very beautiful new shrubby species of cassia, with thin papery pods and numbers of the most brilliant yellow blossoms.  On many of the branches the leaflets had fallen off and left nothing but the flat leafy petioles to represent them.  The pods were of various sizes and forms, on which account, if new, I would name it C. heteroloba.*

(Footnote.  C. heteroloba, Lindley manuscripts; foliolis bijugis linearibus carnosis cito deciduis apice mucronulatis recurvis, glandula parva conica inter omnia, petiolo compresso herbaceo nunc aphyllo mucronulato, racemis paucifloris folio brevioribus, leguminibus oblongis planis obtusis papyraceis continuis aut varie strangulatis.)

June 7.

The ground had been so heavy for travelling during some days that the cattle much needed rest; and as I contemplated the passage, in one day of that dumosa scrub, occupying twenty miles along the tract before us, I made this journey a short one, moving only to our old encampment of May 26.  The scrub here seemed more than usually rich in botanical novelties for, besides the Murrayana tree, we found a most beautiful Leucopogon allied to L. rotundifolius of Brown, with small heart-shaped leaves polished on the upper side and striated on the lower, so as to resemble the most delicate shell-work.* Piper discovered, on examining the ground where we had repulsed the Darling tribes, that they had left many of their spears, nets, etc. on our side of the river, and had afterwards returned for them, also that a considerable number did not swim across, but had retired along the riverbank.  Upon the whole it was estimated that the numbers then in our rear amounted to at least one hundred and eighty.

(Footnote.  L. cordifolius, Lindley manuscripts; ramulis pubescentibus, foliis sessilibus subrotundis planis patentibus cordatis mucronatis margine scabris supra laevigatis subtus striatis, floribus solitariis sessilibus axillaribus.)