'^''\™^] WHITE, Most Extcnsivf ()n,ltholo,/iral Tour 221 



now crossed the Hugh River (a tributary of the Finke) eight 

 times in \3> miles. The crossings were very difficult owing to 

 the loose nature of the sand; reached Alice Well at dark, and 

 camped for the night. Next morning, I counted 49 Black-backed 

 Magpies (Gyiiinorhvia tibicen), a great many Magpie-Larks 

 (Gralliiia cyonnlciica) , and Yellow-throated Miners ( I\f\cautha 

 flin'if/iilii). Heavy sand again on our track. This country was 

 covered with Porcui)ine Grass (Triodia) erroneously called 

 "spinifex," Cassias, I'road-leafed Mulga (Grevillca junci folia) 

 (a plant i)roducing much food for honey-eating birds, and whose 

 flowers are freciuented by millions of ants and other insects). The 

 Desert Oak (Casiiarijia decaisuama) is the largest tree. 



Bloodwoods {Eucalyptus termlnaUs) were now met with; 

 they have great bunches of white to cream flowers laden 

 with much honey. We arrived at Francis ^^^eIl at 11.30, had 

 lunch, and left at 1 p.m. The vegetation here was chiefly Bre- 

 mopJiila, Kochia, Bassia, all shrubs of the stony country; there 

 was good grass in patches. Sandy country came in again, with 

 Desert Oaks and such vegetation. The white-barked Gums, 

 which play such a big part in the landscape for thousands of 

 miles, were seen here for the first time. Deep Well, 23 miles 

 from Francis Well, was reached at 2.30 p.m. ; stores and petrol 

 were taken on here. We were now approaching the Ooraminna 

 Range, and making our way through good mulga scrub, till we 

 struck a sandy patch with Porcupine Grass, Desert Oak, and 

 a strange Gum or Mallee with blue, rounded leaves (Eucalyptus 

 f/aniopliylla). We were now 57 miles from Alice Well, and the 

 country was well grassed. At 74 miles the MacDonnell Ranges 

 came into view, their ragged peaks standing out on the skyline. 



We reached the narrow pass (Heavy-tree Gap) at dark. 

 Great numbers of natives had assembled to give us a 

 welcome, and their strange cries echoed amongst the great over- 

 hanging crags of the range. Passing over a salt-bush plain, the 

 cars pulled up at Alice Springs, known as the township of 

 "Sturt." Owing to a member of the party being unwell, we re- 

 mained two days here, and the writer spent the time in investi- 

 gating the bird life. Birds were not numerous: Black-backed 

 Magpies, Magpie-Larks, Yellow-throated Miners, Cloncurry 

 Honeyeater {Meliphaga peyiicUlata leilavalensis) , Red Throat 

 (Pyrrholcemus brnmieus), Bower-Bird (Chhuuydera cfuttata 

 macdonnelli). The last-named bird, like so many other members 

 of the genus, is a great mimic ; it gives other bird-calls so well 

 that the writer has been deceived upon many occasions. Having 

 had word that a most unusual occurrence had happened to the 

 east of Newcastle Waters in the shape of a cloud-burst, and that 

 water to the depth of 20 feet and 40 feet broad had swept 

 across to the west, and that it would be impossible to think of 

 ■crossing this for a month, we went on to investigate. Tyres 

 which had left Oodnadatta over a month before us had not ar- 



