CH. v.] birds' nests. 119 



At the time, however, this behaviour of the natives only 

 made us more on our guard, and impressed the men with a 

 sense of the necessity for vigilance, especially during the 

 night, when a watch was set on the cattle, and two men 

 guarded the camp, while all the rest slept with their arms at 

 hand. 



This day two of the dogs fell behind, and as the whole 

 were miserably poor, we at first supposed that these had died 

 from exhaustion ; but as the weaker of the two came up to 

 us in the evening, it appeared then more probable that 

 the dogs had been detained by the natives, who might be 

 following our track, and that this one had escaped from 

 them. 



Fei. 1 1. — On the march this morning, we lost an excellent 

 little watch-dog, named " Captain," by the bite of a snake. 

 While the other dogs with the party grew mere skeletons. 

 Captain continued in good case, having fared very well on 

 the rats, mice, bandicoots, &:c. which he, under the direction of 

 the Doctor, who shared the prey, had the sagacity to scrape 

 out of the earth. Captain was also a formidable enemy to 

 lizards, et hoc genus omne ; but this morning his owner found 

 him engaged with that venomous reptile, known in the colony 

 by the name of deaf-adder, and although compelled instantly 

 to let it go, it was too late, for poor Captain stretched out his 

 legs and expired on the spot, having been already bitten by 

 the poisonous reptile. 



We repassed, this day, the place where only I had seen 

 that bush of the interior, the stenochilus maculatus. It grew 

 to the height of about four or five feet, and we found the 

 fruit and flower on the same twig. Numerous small birds, 

 with red bills, flew about these bushes, and we found, slightly 

 attached to the tender top-twigs, their tiny nests in great 

 numbers, some containing eggs. No instinctive sagacity, 



they may come, and let them mahe haste, and take up a wailmgfor us, that 

 our eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids gush out tvith waters." 



Idem. p. 33—36. 



