Nov. 7.—­The first two hours of the day were cloudy, but it cleared up and became very hot; the atmosphere was hazy and sultry; cumuli with undefined outlines all round the horizon:  wind from south-west and south.  I travelled west by north about eight miles, along the foot of Bastard-box and silver-leaved Ironbark ridges.  The country was exceedingly fine; the ground was firm; the valley from two to three miles broad, clothed with rich grass, and sprinkled with apple-tree, flooded-gum, and Bastard-box; the hills formed gentle ascents, and were openly timbered.  The water-holes seemed to be constant; they are very deep, densely surrounded by reeds, and with numerous heaps of broken muscle-shells round their banks.  Scrub was, however, to be seen in the distance, and formed the dark spot in the pleasant picture.  Game became more frequent; and last night every body had a duck.  As we were pursuing our course, Mr. Gilbert started a large kangaroo, known by the familiar name of “old man,” which took refuge in a water-hole, where it was killed, but at the expense of two of our kangaroo dogs, which were mortally wounded.  As we were sitting at our dinner, a fine half-grown emu walked slowly up to us, as if curious to know what business we had in its lonely haunts; unfortunately for us, the bark of our little terrier frightened it; and, although one of my Blackfellows shot after it, it retired unscathed into the neighbouring thicket.  Mr. Roper killed a Rallus, which Mr. Gilbert thought to be new.  The high land from which we came, appears at present as a distant range to the south-east.  Fine-grained sandstone, with impressions of leaves, was again observed, and a few pieces of silicified wood.  A Thysanotus with fine large blossoms now adorns the forest.  The native carrot is in seed; the Eryngium of Jimba, and a leguminous plant, prostrate with ternate leaves and bunches of yellow flowers, were frequent; several beautiful species of everlastings were occasionally seen, and the little orange-tree of the Condamine grew in the scrub.

Nov. 8.—­We followed the Dawson for about eight miles lower down.  About four miles from our camp, it is joined by a fine chain of ponds from the north-east.  The flats on both sides are covered by open Bastard-box forest, of a more or less open character.  In the rainy season, the whole valley is probably covered with water; for we frequently observed the marks of torrents rushing down from the hills; and, along the foot of the ridges, ponds and lagoons were frequent.  The heat of summer had already burnt up a great part of the grasses; and it was only in the immediate neighbourhood of the river that there was any appearance of verdure.  The bed of the river became drier, and changed its character considerably.  Charley stated, that he had seen a large plain extending for many miles to the south-west, and a high mountain to the north.  Several emus, pigeons, and ducks were seen.  Mr. Calvert found concretions of marl in the creek.  John Murphy caught a great number of crawfish.  For the first time since leaving the Condamine, we were visited by a thunder-storm.  Cumuli generally during the afternoon, with wind from the W.N.W; during the night it usually clears up.