we came to a subordinate range, and having found, in one of its watercourses, some tolerable grass and a fine water-hole, we were enabled to encamp.  Mr. Roper and Charley, who had kept a little more to the left, reported that they had been on one of the heads of the Boyd, and had seen a fine open country to the westward, and south-west.  The “Boyd” was so named in acknowledgment of the liberal support I had received from Benjamin Boyd, Esq.

Amongst the shrubs along the gullies, a new species of Dodonaea, with pinnate pubescent leaves, was frequent.  Towards evening we had a thunderstorm from the westward.

Nov. 29.—­In reconnoitring the country in the neighbourhood of the camp, I ascended three mountains, and ascertained that there are five parallel ranges, striking from north to south, of which the three easterly ones send their waters to the eastward; whereas the two westerly ones send theirs to the Boyd, the valley of which has a south-westerly direction.  To the north of the Boyd, there is a steep mountain barrier, striking from east to west.  All these ranges are composed of sandstone, with their horizontal strata, some of which have a very fine grain.  Impressions of Calamites were observed in one of the gullies.  We also saw two kangaroos.  In the water-hole near our camp, there were numerous small brown leeches, which were very keen in the water, but dropped off as soon as we lifted our feet out of it.  The hornets also were very troublesome.  Recent bush fires and still smoking trees betokened the presence of natives; who keep, however, carefully out of sight.  This country, with its dry scrubby ranges and its deep rocky gullies, seems to be thinly inhabited; the natives keeping, probably, to the lower course of Robinson’s Creek and of the Boyd.  The descent to the easterly waters is much more gentle; water remains longer in the deep rocky basins or puddled holes of its creeks, and the vegetation is richer and greener.  Instead of the cypress-pine scrub, the Corypha-palm and the Casuarina grew here, and invited us to cool shaded waters; the Corypha-palm promised a good supply of cabbage.  We had a thunder-storm from the southward, which turned from the range to the eastward.  The two last days were cloudless and very hot; but, on the ranges, a cool breeze was stirring from the northward.

Nov. 30.—­I wished to move my camp to a small water-hole about eight miles east by north, which I had found yesterday; but, though I kept more to the northward than I thought necessary, we were everywhere intercepted by deep rocky gullies.  Losing much time in heading them, I ventured to descend one of the more practicable spurs, and, to my great satisfaction, my bullocks did it admirably well.  The valley into which I entered was very different from these barriers; gentle slopes, covered with open forest of silver-leaved Ironbark, and most beautifully grassed, facilitated my gradual descent to the bottom of the valley, which was broad, flat, thinly timbered