CH. ir.] WILD HONEY. 173 



The principal hill, consisted of trap-rock, and was so 

 naked, that only one or two trees of the stirculia heterophylla 

 grew upon it. The native name for it was " Pakormungor," 

 and from its top, I recognized Mounts Juson and Laidley, 

 and near me various low features, which I had intersected 

 from those stations. The rock, in other places less elevated, 

 consisted of schist or slate in laminse, dipping to the east at 

 an angle of 60°. Some very rich iron-stone also occurred 

 on the surface. This day, three large kangaroos were killed 

 by our dogs, one of them having been speared very adroitly 

 during the chase, by a native, who accompanied us from 

 our last encampment. 



From Pakormungor the country began to decline to the 

 northward, and, as we descended into the basin of the Bogan, 

 it improved in grass. Tlie acacia pendula occurring here, 

 reminded me of the banks of the Nammoy ; and Mr. Cun- 

 ningham had a busy day in examining many interesting plants, 

 which he had not previously seen on this journey. 



We at length encamped on a lagoon, to which the natives 

 led us, and which they named " Cookopie." 



We were now in a " land flowing with honey," for our 

 friendly guides, with their new tomahawks, extracted it in 

 abundance, from the hollow branches of the trees, and it 

 seemed that, in the proper season, they could find it almost 

 everywhere. To such inexpert clowns, as they probably 

 thought us, the honey and the bees were inaccessible, and 

 indeed invisible, save only when the natives cut the former 

 out, and brought it to us in little sheets of bark, thus dis- 

 playing a degree of ingenuity and skill in supplying wants, 

 which we, with all our science, could not hope to attain. 

 Their plan was to catch a bee, and attach to it, with some 

 resin or gum, the light down of a swan or owl ; thus laden, 

 the bee would make for its nest in the branch of some lofty 

 tree, and so betray its store of sweets to its keen-eyed pur- 

 suers, whose &ee-chase presented, indeed, a laughable scene. 



April 14. — We continued in a west or south-west direction, 



