68 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Twice Traversed," strengthened the idea that they had eaten 

 a species of Gastrolobium which had caused that explorer 

 much anxiety and the loss of several camels. After three 

 days' doctoring both animals got on their legs, and a 

 week later were able to perform their usual work. A 

 plant found growing in the neighbourhood, and which was 

 subsequently seen in stony country, to which the trouble 

 was attributed, was all stalk and branches, with only the 

 faintest semblance of leaves at the ends of the twigs. It 

 grew from 6 in. to i8in. high, and a milky fluid exuded when 

 pieces were broken oft". The animals eating it suffered from 

 internal stoppage, but when nature resumed her functions they 

 quickly recovered. The remedies used were purgative medicine 

 and enema. No further trouble of this kind occurred until 25th 

 October, by which time we found Euphorbia Drummondii growing 

 on the sandhills and intervening flats. On the date mentioned 

 one of the pack camels became ill, but the critical state of the 

 whole party prevented much attention being paid to it. Soon 

 after starting the following night it dropped dead whilst crossing 

 a sandhill. Prior to resuming our journey on the evening of the 

 27th October, it was ?een that six camels were ill and rose with 

 difficulty. The Afghans then told me that they were " all same 

 that one die yesterday." The operation known as backraking 

 the anal canal was then tried, with the most satisfactory results, 

 and two hours afterwards my riding camel, which had been one 

 of the sufferers, was able to resume duty and never flinched from 

 work, although he did not taste water until we reached the Fitzroy 

 River on 6th November. 



Early in January, 1897, Messrs. Wells and Buchanan went 

 some distance into the desert in search of our missing comrades 

 and camped near a native well, near which Euphorbia Drum- 

 mondii was growing in abundance. Next morning three camels 

 were ill, and in the course of three days two were dead, but the 

 third had commenced to chew its cud and soon recovered. On a 

 later visit to the same camp in the following April, I saw that in 

 the skeletons of the dead camels there were heaps of about a 

 bushel each of partly masticated vegetable matter, amongst which 

 sprigs of E. Drummondii were easily recognized. I may here 

 state that Mr. Buchanan, who was an Australian traveller of great 

 experience, had previously pointed out the plant as one frequently 

 fatal to horses. Specimens from this camp were submitted to 

 Professor Tate, of Adelaide, who pronounced the plant to be 

 Euphorbia Drummondii. On the second visit to the locality the 

 camels suffered no injury, although the weed was more plentiful 

 than in January. Possibly they did not eat it, as other herbage 

 was equally abundant. 



During our stay at the junction of the Fitzroy and Margaret 



