718 



in the sand, with the "hm, hm" again, adding "papa,'' 

 meaning wild dog. In one case, when they wished it under- 

 stood that the dog in question had pups, and their meaning 

 was not at once grasped, one native went down on all fours, 

 and tugging first at one nipple, then at the other, to show 

 that it was a she-dog suckling young. Towards evening some 

 of the natives became very excited, calling ''Teeta," "Teeta," 

 "Coppe," and going in the direction they indicated, 

 through a dense mulga scrub, a high turtle -backed 

 hill (like the half of a huge granite boulder thrust up through 

 the sandy soil) was reached. The natives made for the steep 

 side of the granite rock, and with their bare feet soon climbed 

 12 or 15 feet up, and throwing themselves down upon the 

 rock were soon drinking from a rockhole, several feet deep, 

 fed by the sloping sides of the great granite mass. 



Next morning I paid a visit to the natives' camp. They 

 were a splendid lot of fellows, good tempered, civil, and with- 

 out a doubt very well disposed towards the white man. Some 

 photographs were taken, and many little presents bestowed, 

 before they left to go back to their own district, which seemed 

 to be the north side of the Everard Range. One man only 

 went on with us; he was a really fine specimen, about 40 or 45 

 years of age, some 6 feet in height, broad-shouldered and well 

 nourished, good tempered, and always anxious to explain any 

 matters of interest, and I could not move anywhere without 

 being followed by him. His quick eyes could pick out a bird, 

 mammal, or insect long before mine. To see his lithe, nude 

 body passing noiselessly through the scrub, every muscle work- 

 ing to perfection, was an interesting sight, especially when in 

 the attitude of stalking game. 



Making a start from "Teeta" rockhole we took a westerly 

 -course between two high and rugged granite ranges, and 

 before long were making the best way we could through very 

 •dense mulga. After rains great quantities of some plants, 

 bearing edible seeds, must be prevalent through this country, 

 for large grinding-stones belonging to the natives were seen 

 in many places; so large, indeed, that they must have given 

 •considerable trouble to carry. We walked for hours through 

 the dense mulga and never saw a living thing. At 5 p.m. 

 we emerged from the niulga country into a sandhill country, 

 with thick mulga on the flats, some of the trees being of fair 

 size. Bird life, and indeed all other kinds of life, were very 

 scarce in this region. Cinclosoma castanotum dundasi was 

 met with for the first time, and seems only to be found in the 

 sandhill country. Continuing on our westerly course the sand- 

 hills became more pronounced, and were covered with thick 

 scrub in places. A beautiful little heath-like shrub. 



