During his excursion Mr. Fitzmaurice had killed one of the rare species
of kangaroo, seen for the first time by us at King Sound, called Macropus
unguifer; this was a somewhat important discovery, as it showed the
extent to which the animal is diffused over the continent. I may here
mention, that the night before we reached Van Diemen's Inlet a flight of
rose-coloured cockatoos,* several of which were caught and kept alive for
some time, alighted on the rigging.

(*Footnote. Cacatua eos.)

Thus terminated our exploration of the southern shores of the Gulf of
Carpentaria, nearly two hundred miles of which had been minutely examined
in the boats.* Twenty-six inlets had been discovered, of which two proved
to be rivers, whilst three more were nearly as promising. That all the
others may contain fresh water in the rainy season there is every reason
for supposing, from the fact of deep channels being found in their banks;
from what I have already observed regarding the water being less salt
towards the heads at low tides; and from the report we afterwards heard
at Port Essington that Malay proas occasionally visit the southern shores
of the Gulf, and fill fresh water from alongside, some distance off the
land. If we receive this statement as correct, we must suppose that at
certain seasons the discharge from the various inlets and rivers we
discovered is sufficiently powerful to force back the great body of
seawater, as is the case at the embouchures of many large rivers.

(*Footnote. As the reader will perceive by a glance at the chart
accompanying this work.)

The general appearance of the head of the Gulf is that of a low mangrove
shore, between ten and thirty feet high, over which the interior is not