the Alexandra District, S. Australia. 389 
of Gums grow amongst the Spinifex. Most of the timber 
found on Alexandra grows in the ‘ desert.’ 
“ A ridge, similar to the former in many ways but rather 
higher and much more extensive, is found to the north of the 
Playford. This is much wider and possesses one spring of 
permanent water. Travelling towards this range from the 
creek, a plain is crossed for about five miles; then comes 
about a mile of brown sand-loam, set hard and covered with 
Box and other small trees ; succeeding this is a stretch of 
perhaps a mile or two of Turpentine bushes growing in loose 
soft sand. Many gullies run down from the range and flood 
out over small plains. It is on this flooded ground that the 
only large timber is to be found—principally White Gum and 
Biood-wood. 
“ Most of the birds, excepting those found on water, were 
shot on the outskirts of these deserts and along the banks of 
the small creeks running through them. As, however, the 
water seldom lasts more than a week or two in the sand, 
though rather longer in a few rock-holes, there was not much 
time to work the whole country. The ranges seem to extend 
from the Playford in a broken series right up to the main 
coastal range. It is rather curious that after leaving the 
Rankine no Gedgea-trees are met with until the Brunette is 
approached, a distance of about a hundred miles. 
“On the Brunette the plains are broken by ridges of small 
pebbles, heaped up like old sea-beaches. There are many 
large clumps of Gedgea-timber there, and I am told that 
similar country extends right out to the telegraph-lines. 
“ A few miles south of Alroy is the edge of the Great 
Desert. This extends from the Rankine at the Polygonum 
swamp right past Alroy, probably to Tennant’s Creek, and is 
timbered with small White Gums, Turpentine, and a variety 
of low trees. There appear to be none of any size; probably 
the frequent fires have something to do with this. I visited 
two lakes twenty-eight and forty miles from Alroy respectively ; 
they were shallow depressions covered with trees. The water- 
mark was about seven feet above our camping-ground and 
there might have been about one foot of water left. These also 
SER. IX.-—VOL. I. 2D 
