of a water melon. [Footnote:  Probably Muckia micrantha.—­F.M.] The latter plant I also found at Camp 68.  On tasting the pulp of the newly-found fruit, which was about the size of a large pea, I found it to be so acrid that it was with difficulty that I removed the taste from my mouth.  At eight or nine miles from where we crossed the creek we passed another large lagoon, leaving it two miles on our left, and shortly afterwards we saw one nearly as far on our right.  This last we should have availed ourselves of, but that we expected to find water in a creek which we could see, by the timber lining its banks, flowed from the lagoon on our left and crossed our course a few miles ahead.  We reached it at a distance of four or five miles farther, and found a splendid waterhole at which we camped.  The creek at the point flows in a northerly direction through a large lightly timbered flat, on which it partially runs out.  The ground is, however, sound and well clothed with grass and salsolaceous plants.  Up to this point the country through which we have passed has been of the finest description for pastoral purposes.  The grass and saltbush are everywhere abundant, and water is plentiful with every appearance of permanence.  We met with porcupine grass, [Footnote:  Triodia pungens.—­Br.] and only two sand ridges before reaching Camp 71.

Field book 2.

Camp 72 to 78.  Latitude 27 to 25 1/2 degrees S.L.

Saturday, 22nd December.—­At five minutes to five A.M. we left one of the most delightful camps we have had in the journey, and proceeded on the same course as before, north-west by north, across some high ridges of loose sand, many of which were partially clothed with porcupine grass.  We found the ground much worse to travel over than any we have yet met with, as the ridges were exceedingly abrupt and steep on their eastern side, and although sloping gradually towards the west, were so honeycombed in some places by the burrows of rats, that the camels were continually in danger of falling.  At a distance of about six miles, we descended from these ridges to undulating country of open box forest, where everything was green and fresh.  There is an abundance of grass and salt bushes, and lots of birds of all descriptions.  Several flocks of pigeons passed over our heads, making for a point a little to our right, where there is no doubt plenty of water, but we did not go off our course to look for it.  Beyond the box forest, which keeps away to the right, we again entered the sand ridges, and at a distance of six miles, passed close to a dry salt lagoon, the ridges in the vicinity of which are less regular in their form and direction, and contain nodules of limestone.  The ground in the flats and claypans near, has that encrusted surface that cracks under the pressure of the foot, and is a sure indication of saline deposits.  At a distance of eight miles from the lagoon, we camped at the foot