etc. in taking and working observations--in the daily register of the
barometer, thermometer, winds, and weather, and in collecting specimens
of flowers, or minerals. My young friend, Mr. Scott, was kept equally
busy; for in many of these duties he assisted me, and in some relieved me
altogether; the regular entry of the meteorological observations, and the
collecting of flowers or shrubs generally fell to his share;
independently of which he was the only sportsman in the party, and upon
his gun we were dependant for supplies of wallabies, pigeons, ducks, or
other game, to vary our bill of fare, and make the few sheep we had with
us hold out as long as possible. As a companion I could not have made a
better selection--young, active, and cheerful, I found him ever ready to
render me all the assistance in his power. At our present encampment,
several of a species of wallabie, very much resembling a hare in flavour,
were shot by Mr. Scott, but hitherto we had not succeeded in getting a
kangaroo.

July 1.--To-day we travelled through a similar country to that we were in
yesterday, consisting of open plains and occasionally low scrub.
Kangaroos abounded in every direction. Our stage was eighteen miles to a
watercourse called by me the "Reedy water holes," from the circumstance
of reeds growing around the margin of the water. Upon arriving at this
place I was surprised to find a strongly running stream, where formerly
there had only been a reedy pond, although the two last watercourses we
had encamped at had been much reduced and dried up. When I had been here
in 1839, they were the running streams, and this only a pool, whilst
singularly enough there did not appear to have been more rain at one
place than the other.

We were now in full view of Spencer's gulf, but as yet could observe no
signs of the WATERWITCH, which was to meet us at the head of the gulf