MOVE DOWN THE RIVER. 299 



ance equally level with any other, was higher, 

 and may perhaps have attained to the elevation of 

 thirty-five feet above the level of the sea. Over 

 the plains were scattered flocks of beautiful rose- 

 coloured cockatoos, several of which I shot ; they 

 were precisely the same as those on the southern 

 parts of the continent. 



Beyond Burial Reach the river separates into 

 two branches, one taking an easterly and the other 

 a southerly direction ; but neither of them, unfor- 

 tunately, was it at that time in my power to explore. 

 Here we again, for the second time only, met 

 with a rocky formation : it was of a red ferruginous 

 character. Our furthest position on the Flinders 

 was in lat. 17° 51' S. in a general S. by E. ^ E. 

 direction from the entrance, nearly thirty miles by 

 the distance the boats had traversed. 



After noon observations, the gig moved down 

 the river. On passing the large island, I shot an 

 animal resembling a water-rat, of large dimensions, 

 particularly expanded across the loins, with stout 

 hind legs and palmated feet, of a light slate colour 

 and soft fine hair approaching fur, the colour gra- 

 dually becoming lighter under the abdomen ; the 

 head was flatter than that of the usual tribe of 

 water-rats, and resembled an otter.* 



It was not until long after dark that we reached 



* There is a species of water-rat inhabiting the coast of 

 Australia, called HydroraysChrysogaster; but this was the first 

 time we met with anytliing like it. 



