'1 HORN EXPEDITION — NAURATIVE. 



<!i('y, Lcieliardt, and Wailuirloii, uiul in more leecnt^ years (iilcs, it will 1)0 easily 

 realised that it, is a matter of no small dilHeulty to render any such acoount 

 otJierwise than as monotonous as the country thi'ough wliich the ti'aseller must 

 pass. To tlieir accounts was added the ciia,rm at.tondant upon the dcsc'ription of 

 travel through untrodden country in face of almost insu]>eralil(^ dilHculties. 

 Though away from beaten tiacks, wo only traversed country previously explored, 

 and had practically no serious dilficulties to contend with. W(> had, howc\<'r, 

 more time to devote to an examination of the dilt'ei-ent features — zoologic.d, 

 botanical, geological, and meteorological — of the country than was possible in 

 the case of the original explorers, so that, in certain respects, 1 hope to be ;d)le to 

 give a fuller description of a limited area of the cential region than lias yet been 

 wi'ittcn. 



The Expedition left Adelaide at the beginning of May, ]SOt, and thrc^e 

 mouths and a half were occupied in tra\'ersing the country which it was organised 

 for the purpose of scientifically exploring. 



The members of the Expedition, in addition to Mr. W. A. Horn, who accom- 

 panied us as far as Idracowra on the Finkc River, and the various branches of 

 work alloted to them were as follows : — 



Professor Ralph Tate - - Geology and Botany. 



Dr. E. C. Stirling - - Anthropology. 



Professor Baldwin Spencer - Zoology and Pliotography. 



Mr. J. A. Watt - - - Geology and Mineralogy. 



Mr. C. Winnecke - - - Surveyor and Meteorologist. 



Messrs. F. W. Bolt and G. A. Keartland accompanied the party as collectors 

 and taxidermists, and there were in addition the usual camp men — a cook, two 

 white men and two Afghans in charge of the camels, and black " boys " to serve 

 as guides. 



Tlic object which Mr. Horn had in view in sending out the Expedition was 

 not to explore new country, but to examine as carefully as time permitted the 

 country in and about the McDonnell Ranges. These lie almost in the centre of 

 Australia just to the south of the Tropic, and, roughly speaking, stretch across 

 from east to west between long. 130° and 135°. To reach them it was necessary 

 to ti-averse all the district lying between them and the northern end of Lake 

 Eyre. All this large tract of country is drained I)y the Finke River and its 

 tributaries, so that, in reality and as far as circumstances and time peiiuitted, the 



