satisfied that they are well adapted for sheep runs. As the wind was
unfavourable during the afternoon the crew had to row down the river. On
passing near where we saw the blacks on our way up we found about twenty,
counting men, women, and children, waiting to see us as we passed. On the
following morning we went ashore and got water in a waterhole near the
bank, and also firewood off an old fallen tree, which, I think, is
probably the real ebony. Late in the evening we reached a point on the
eastern bank about three miles above Kangaroo Point.

We went ashore and in the course of a walk started on the wing two large
bustards, and also, within shot of us, two or three wallabies.

In our way up and down the river the temperature ranged on the bar from
74 to 94 degrees. The nights were agreeable, and we were fortunately not
troubled with mosquitoes or sandflies.

On the upper part of the river we saw altogether three crocodiles, but
they were so shy that they remained in sight only a few seconds.

The slightly timbered downs and plains on the banks of the Albert River
are, as I hoped they would be from their western position, of a similar
character to good inland settled sheep country of New South Wales and
Queensland; the trees that we saw are all small; but as sheep do best in
Australia where the temperature is dry, the soil rich, and slightly
timbered, and as this is the general description, I believe, of the
country and climate of the Albert River, the sheep farmer should be
willing to put up with the inconvenience caused from the want of good
timber for building purposes.

We saw large quantities of the small white cockatoos, and the