appearance; but as cotton grows well at Port Essington, there can be
little doubt that it will thrive here. Several of the bustards spoken of
by Flinders, were noticed; but too wary to be killed. They were as large
as those seen in the neighbourhood of Port Phillip, but much browner. The
other birds, most common, will be found in an extract from the game book,
given in a future page. We saw no animals, except some large iguanas.

Investigator Road is sheltered to the northward by shoal water stretching
across between Sweers and Bentinck islands. The latter is slightly
elevated, and thickly wooded; it is large in comparison with its
neighbours, being about ten miles in extent either way. Its south side is
much indented, and the projections as well as the extreme of Fowler
Island, are lined with mangroves; they are fronted with coral ledges.
Near the south-east point, I noticed large patches of the ferruginous
sort of gravel, before alluded to in King's Sound.

On one occasion a party thought they heard a cooey--or cry peculiar to
the natives of Port Jackson--uttered by some of the aborigines in the
distance. It would have been exceedingly interesting to ascertain if this
actually was the case; as the sound generally emitted by the natives of
the northern coasts when they wish to communicate with each other afar
off, is the monotonous "oh! oh!"

MR. FORSYTH'S REPORT.

On the 13th the boats returned, having completed the work that had been
allotted them. Mr. Forsyth reported their proceedings as follows: Leaving
the north point of Bentinck Island, off which a reef extends nearly three
miles, they crossed over to the south end of Mornington Island, bearing
North 60 degrees West twenty-three miles, the depth, midway between being