Nov. 11.—­We accomplished about ten miles in a direct line, but on a long and fatiguing circuitous course.  Starting in a northerly direction, we passed over some rocky ground, but soon entered into a sandy level, covered with scrubby, stringy-bark forest, intermixed with Melaleuca gum.  At the distance of four miles I came to a rocky creek going to the westward, which I followed.  From one of the hills which bounded its narrow valley, I had a most disheartening, sickening view over a tremendously rocky country.  A high land, composed of horizontal strata of sandstone, seemed to be literally hashed, leaving the remaining blocks in fantastic figures of every shape; and a green vegetation, crowding deceitfully within their fissures and gullies, and covering half of the difficulties which awaited us on our attempt to travel over it.  The creek, in and along the bed of which we wound slowly down, was frequently covered with large loose boulders, between which our horses and cattle often slipped.  A precipice, and perpendicular rocks on both sides, compelled us to leave it; and following one of its tributary creeks to its head, to the northward, we came to another, which led us down to a river running to the west by south.  With the greatest difficulty we went down its steep slopes, and established our camp at a large water-hole in its bed.  The longitude of the river was, according to my reckoning, 133 degrees 6 minutes.

A new species of rock pigeon (Petrophassa, Gould.) with a dark brown body, primaries light brown without any white, and with the tail feathers rather worn, lived in pairs and small flocks like Geophaps, and flew out of the shade of overhanging rocks, or from the moist wells which the natives had dug in the bed of the creek, around which they clustered like flies round a drop of syrup.  A fine shady Eucalyptus, with a short barrel, but large spreading branches, and with the grey bark of the box, grew between the rocks along the creek.

Nov. 12.—­We had been compelled to leave the injured horse behind, and upon going this morning with Charley to fetch it to the camp, we found the poor brute dead.  On our return to the camp, we followed another creek to the northward, which also joined the river, about eight miles to the eastward of our camp.  The river was densely covered with scrub, and almost perpendicular cliffs bounded its valley on both sides.  Myriads of flying-foxes were here suspended in thick clusters on the highest trees in the most shady and rather moist parts of the valley.  They started as we passed, and the flapping of their large membranous wings produced a sound like that of a hail-storm.