June 11.—­We travelled about eight miles due north.  The bed of the river was very broad; and an almost uninterrupted flat, timbered with box and apple-gum, extended along its banks.  We were delighted with the most exquisite fragrance of several species of Acacia in blossom.

June 12.—­We travelled about nine miles N.N.W. to lat. 16 degrees 55 minutes.  The flats were again interrupted by sandstone ranges.  One large creek, and several smaller ones joined the river.

June 13.—­We accomplished nine miles to-day in a N.N.W. direction.  The country was partly rocky; the rock was a coarse conglomerate of broken pieces of quartz, either white or coloured with oxide of iron; it greatly resembled the rock of the Wybong hills on the upper Hunter, and was equally worn and excavated.  The flats were limited, and timbered with apple-gum, box, and blood-wood, where the sand was mixed with a greater share of clay; and with stringy-bark on the sandy rocky soil; also with flooded-gum, in the densely grassed hollows along the river.  The Severn tree, the Acacia of Expedition Range, and the little bread tree, were frequent along the banks of the river.  A species of Stravadium attracted our attention by its loose racemes of crimson coloured flowers, and of large three or four ribbed monospermous fruit; it was a small tree, with bright green foliage, and was the almost constant companion of the permanent water-holes.  As its foliage and the manner of its growth resemble the mangrove, we called it the Mangrove Myrtle.

Brown shot fifteen ducks, mostly Leptotarsis Eytoni, Gould.; and Charley a bustard (Otis Australasianus), which saved two messes of our meat.

The river was joined by a large creek from the south-west, and by several small ones; we passed a very fine lagoon, at scarcely three miles from our last camp.

June 14.—­We travelled nine miles north by west, to lat. 16 degrees 38 minutes.  The box-tree flats were very extensive, and scattered over with small groves of the Acacia of Expedition Range.  The narrow-leaved Ironbark had disappeared with the primitive rocks; the moment sandstone commenced, stringy-bark took its place.  We passed some lagoons, crossed a good sized creek from the south-west, and saw a small lake in the distance.  At the latter part of the stage the country became more undulating.  The edges of the stiff shallows were densely covered with the sharp pointed structures of the white ants, about two or three feet high.  They were quite as frequent at the upper part of the river, where I omitted to mention them.  We saw a very interesting camping place of the natives, containing several two-storied gunyas, which were constructed in the following manner:  four large forked sticks were rammed into the ground, supporting cross poles placed in their forks, over which bark was spread sufficiently strong and spacious for a man to lie upon; other sheets of stringy-bark were bent over the platform, and formed an arched