were not with them, so as to make the lesson a more severe one.  The assailants spread out in a circle to try and surround them, but seeing eight or nine of their companions drop, made them think better of it, and they were finally hunted back again across the river, leaving their friends behind them.  The firing was heard by the cattle party, but before they could come up, the fray was over.  In this case, as in all others, the collision was forced on the explorers, who, as a rule, always avoided making use of their superior arms.  Leaving the cattle in camp, the Brothers spend the afternoon in exploring the country a-head for 7 miles.  After crossing the river, the course lay through flooded country (the marks on the trees being in some cases five feet high, covered with box, and vine scrub, and the water, grasses, and rushes being matted together with mud and rubbish,) to a large stream with broad sandy bed, divided into three channels, altogether about 600 yards wide, but with little water in them.  The banks and islands were covered with vine scrub, and lined with plum (’Owenia,’) chestnut (’Castanopermum,’) nonda, bauhinia, acacia, white cedar, the corypha or (fan-leaved palm,) flooded gum, melaleuca (drooping tea-tree,) and many creepers and shrubs.  On the box flats travelled through, some gunyahs, dams, and weirs were noticed, all constructed of matted vines and palm leaves, which last grow almost everywhere.  One of the largest of the palms measured 13 1/2 feet at the butt, which is the smallest end, as they here assume the shape of the bottle tree.  This stream was correctly surmised to be the long desired Mitchell, the two last creeks being only its ana-branches.  Although 10 miles higher up in latitude 15 degrees 51 minutes 56 seconds it is described by Leichhardt as being 1 1/2 miles wide.  It here measured as before described only about 600 yards.  A number of fish were caught at the camp. (Camp XLII.) Distance 6 miles.

‘December’ 17.—­After some little trouble the cattle were crossed over this branch, a road having to be cut for them through the scrub.  At 5 miles they crossed another main branch about 450 yards wide, and camped two miles on the other side of it, on a waterhole in a Leichhardt-tree flat (’Nauclea Leichhardtii.’) The country was the same as described yesterday.  One of the fattest of the cows died from the effects of some poisonous herb, not detected.  Some turkey’s eggs were found, and a wallaby, with which the vine scrubs were swarming, was shot.  The Torres Straits pigeon (’Carpophaga Luctuosa,’) was here met with for the first time on the trip, and attracted the interest and admiration of the travellers.  It is a handsome bird, about the size of a wonga, the head and body pure white, the primaries of the wings and edge of the tail feathers black, and the vent feathers and under tail coverts tinged with a delicate salmon color.  Distance 7 or 8 miles.  Course N.N.E. (Camp XLIII.)