38 ACACIA PENDULA FIRST SEEN, [CH. II. 



being well calculated to strengthen Mr. Brown's confidence, 

 who had only seen previously the heavy old muskets carried 

 by stock-men. He surveyed with great attention the per- 

 cussion lock and heavier barrel of the rifle, surprised, no 

 doubt, at its superior make and accuracy. 



Our course was still westward, and thus we occasionally 

 touched upon the bends of the river. Adjacent to one sharp 

 angle, we met with a rather singular formation of little hills 

 formed by projecting strata, the strike extending in the di- 

 rection of N, 30 W., and the dip being to the east, at an 

 angle of about 30°. The rock appeared to consist, in some 

 parts, of a buff calcareous sandstone, calcareous tuff; and, 

 more abundantly, of limestone of a peculiar aspect, pre- 

 senting at first sight the appearance of porphyry, but con- 

 sisting of a base of compact limestone, with disseminated 

 portions of calcareous spar, principally due to fragments of 

 crinoidea. At a lower part in the same rock, less compact, 

 I found a beautiful chalcedonic cast, apj^arently of a terebra. 

 The calcareous sandstone consisted of grains of quartz ce- 

 mented by calcareous spar, and contained fragments of shells 

 of the littorina or turbo* 



On crossing another low ridge beyond this, we descended 

 to a valley, in which I saw, for the first time, that beautiful 

 shrub of the interior, the acacia pendula. The foliage is of 

 a light green colour, and it droops like the weeping willow ; 

 the bark is rough, and the trunk seldom exceeds nine inches 

 in diameter. The wood of this graceful tree is sweet-scented, 

 of a rich dark-brown colour, and being very hard, it is in 

 great request with the natives for making their bommerengs 

 and spear-heads. It appears to grow chiefly on flats, which are 

 occasionally inundated. During this day's journey, we also 

 met with the callitris jiyramidalis, a tree which in external 

 appearance closely resembles some kinds of pine tree. The 



* Also a striated slitll (pi. 4. fig. .'3.) near to Buccinum tjlobulure of Phil- 

 lilts, Vol. 2iiii, Hi iind lij; but Mr. Sowcrby thinks it is (litiercnt, aud more 

 jMububl^ u LJttoriiiu, utid would cull it L.Jiluau. 



