IlOnX KXPEDITION — XAIiRATIVE. • 23 



Acjicia oi" Giddea (A. hinnalcphylUi). When tlie briiuclics ai'O freshly cut it. well 

 deserves the former name as tliey have a most objectionable smell. Iiistcail of 

 liaving stifi', thin stems like the Mulga it has curved and twisted ones and the 

 younger trees form more or less thick bushes. The foliage is a light ashen 

 green and most depressing in appearance, especially when the hot sun shines 

 upon it. 



The next morning after photographing the group represented in the illustra- 

 tion (Plate 1), we crossed the bed of the creek, and after traversing one or two 

 Hats and very rough stony country, the track rose until close to the base Vii Mount 

 Frank on the west, we once more cut the telegraph line. For miles ahead it could 

 be seen streaking away like a thin line to the horizon on which we could just 

 distinguish through the waves of heated air the outline of the telegraph station. 

 Small low-lying hills seen across these upland plains during the heat of the day 

 become transformed into liigh ranges and mere shrubs become forest trees reflected 

 in the waters of the mirage lakes. 



Late in the afternoon we reached the station where we were welcomed by ]\lr. 

 Byrne and, after conununicating with friends in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydm^y, 

 went on to camp beside the Cogliu Creek about a mile to the north of the station. 



We had been travelling slowly and it had taken us some eight days to traverse 

 the one hundred and fifty miles which we had so far covered, but to most of us it 

 was our first introduction to the interioi' of Australia and our time had nut been 

 wasted. Though this pai-t lying alcjng the telegraph line is the Central Australian 

 highway (Plate 13) still everything we saw — scenciry, plants and animals — was more 

 or less novel to us and already a good many new forms had been collected, facts 

 noted and we had begun our work in earnest. 



Home nine months later I traversed the same district after rains had fallen foi- 

 the purpose of completing work which I had not been able to finish during the 

 Expedition and of securing certain forms, such as the Apus for example, which 

 can only be obtained after rain. Charlotte Waters then became well known to 

 me and I take this opportunity of expressing my thanks to my friend Mr. P. M. 

 iJyriK' not only for the warm liospitality extended to me liut for his most valuable 

 co-operation in the work of collecting, especially in regard to the Mammals and 

 Lizards of the Charlotte Waters district. Many of the more valuable and rare 

 species have been secured since the return of the Expedition, for the simple 

 reason that to secure them needs different climatic conditions to those which we 

 encountered, and the opportunity of obtaining these I owe eiitireiy to Mr. Byrne. 



