450 EXPLORATION OF THE 



from which it would appear that they inhabit cer- 

 tain reaches of the rivers only : we never found 

 them in swamps. The farthest south they were after- 

 wards met with, was on the Albert River in the Gulf 

 of Carpentaria, in lat. 18° S., which gives them a 

 range of six and a half degrees of latitude over the 

 northern part of the continent. Their nests never 

 came under our notice, and consequently we are 

 not aware either of the size or colour of their eggs ; 

 neither did we see any young birds during the period 

 of our observation, ranging from July to November 

 only.* 



August 4. — The southern arm of the Adelaide 

 River, and about fifteen miles near the mouth of the 

 other branch, still remaining to be explored, I started 

 on this interesting service the day of the return of 

 Captain Wickham, August 4th. We soon found that 

 the one we ascended promised nothing, from there 

 being no tidal stream of any consequence ; still we 

 hoped to trace its rejunction with the main branch, 

 but after proceeding in a general S. by W. direction 

 five miles, and E. S. E. the same distance, it became 

 so narrow that the mangroves on each side entirely 

 blocked up the passage, and stopped the boat's 

 progress. I here again felt the inconvenience of 

 our not being furnished with one of the pendulum 



* Mr. Gould, who had previously described this bird, {Lepto- 

 tarsis Eytoni,) being desirous of figuring it in his splendid work, 

 has been furnished with this account. 



