by fred. turner. 407 



Rainfall. 



The mean annual rainfall at Wilcannia is 11^, inches, but it 

 ranges from 9| inches in the extreme west to 19 J inches in the 

 extreme east. 



Water. 



The principal natural water of this region is the Darling 

 River (the "Calla-watta" of the aborigines), its tributaries, and 

 several lakes. In propitious seasons the billabongs and deep 

 depressions generally contain large quantities of water. Artiticial 

 supplies of water are obtained from a number of Government 

 and private artesian wells. In this direction much enterprise 

 has been shown, and many wells have been sunk into the creta- 

 ceous beds and abundant supplies of water obtained. 



The Flora. 

 The first time that I had the privilege of examining plants 

 collected in the Darling country was in April, 1880, but a few 

 years previously I had seen similar flora from the south-westerj} 

 portion of Queensland. Amongst a number of collections of 

 western plants that have since passed through my hands, the 

 following might be referred to : — In 1885, at the request of Dr. 

 E. P. Ramsay, F.R.8.E., then Curator of the Australian Museum, 

 I named that very fine collection of graminaceous plants made 

 by the late Mr. K. H. Bennett in the neighbourhood of Ivanhoe 

 and Mossgiel. That collection was forwarded to the Indian and 

 Colonial Exposition in London. Some time after this I named, 

 by request, a large collection of plants from the Wilcannia dis- 

 trict for Mr. J. H. Maiden, F.L.8, then of the Technological 

 Museum, now Government Botanist. At the request of Mr. H. 

 C. L. Anderson, M.A., Principal Librarian, Public Library, 

 Sydne}^, I named those beautiful paintings, executed by I\Irs. 

 Harriet Forde whilst on the Darling in 1865-6, of some of the 

 notable plants of the interior. Those paintings are now in the 

 Public Library. In 1888 I figured and described some of the 

 economic plants of the Darling; and all the principal trees, 

 shrubs, saltbushes and herbs of that region which produce edible 



