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The camels now showed signs of the presence of grubs 

 in their noses. The photograph (pi. xxi., fig. 1) shows a 

 very characteristic attitude — the expectancy of a sneeze. 

 On the sandhill bordering the course of the creek we noted 

 many tracks of animals, including jumping marsupials, birds, 

 lizards, beetles, and other insects. Meteorites, not yet 

 described, have been found at Accalana and Carraweena. We 

 got good water at Carraweena Well ; its proximity was indi- 

 cated by myriads of cockatoos and other birds. A water-trough, 

 filled for the use of the mailman's horses, was largely patron- 

 ized by dragon-flies and wasps, of which latter two or three 

 species were taken whilst drinking. Our own ablutions in the 

 fast disappearing daylight disconcerted thousands of Galahs, 

 whose drinking time we had inadvertently postponed. This 

 day we passed the site of Howitt's 32nd camp at Atracoona. 

 On the 21st, at Kumbarie, we entered an area of low sand- 

 hills with scanty herbage and scattered trees, which increased 

 as we proceeded northward. Large gums appeared in the 

 now dry creeks, and most of them still showed the footholds 

 cut by natives of a bygone age with stone tomahawks. This 

 day we camped at Birkett's woolshed, now represented by a 

 single post, but where at one time 20,000 sheep were shorn. 

 Hundreds of Cockatoos crowded on snags in the waterhole for 

 the purpose of drinking furnished a pleasing sight. They 

 were soon to be scared, however, for the hot and thirsty 

 camels rolled and kicked in the muddy water, emerging with 

 their coats plastered all over. The water is possibly per- 

 manent ; we heard frogs croaking, and both Pied and Black 

 Shags remained in the vicinity. Next day we passed through 

 a beautifully- wooded flat, peopled with many birds, of which 

 the Budgerigars were most in evidence. Tinga Tingana was 

 reached on the following day. Caught in heavy rain, camp 

 was rapidly pitched on high ground, and by morning we 

 had caught plenty of water from the tarpaulins and tents. 

 We were weather-bound here until the 24th, but were able 

 to add to our collections. Though details are reserved for the 

 special accounts, I may mention that it was in this locality 

 that I obtained the photograph of the carrion beetles on the 

 hoof of a dead camel (pi. xxi., fig. 2), dug out the sand 

 scorpions, and discovered the mole crickets, as recorded in 

 the entomological report. Once more on the move, we came 

 across a corps of 132 camels with 30 tons of wool, temporarily 

 stacked as a protection against the rain — no light task to deal 

 with such a cargo. We now entered well- wooded flats flanked 

 with sandhills. The change from the Mount Hopeless dis- 

 trict seemed magical; here bird life was abundant, and the 

 Galahs and Chats (Eyhthianum) were breeding. At Murteree 



