98 HORN EXPRDITION NARIiATlVK. 



t.lio sixtcontli of an inch in loiit;tli lonkinp; exactly liko a ntinuto limpet and it is 

 widely distributed in Australia. 



There was hut little insect life to lie found though the Cassias as usual \ver(> 

 hi-illiant with yellow hlossoni. A hlack and white mason lly was makini;' iiersisteiit 

 ellnrts to drai;- a hea\y spider uj> the smooth tiunk of a red ,i;nui to its nest. The 

 spider was apparently too heavy for it to ily with and was st-iaii,f,L;lini;', hut walk'ini;- 

 backwards up the trunk the insect tried to drag the spider after it, and would 

 <loid)tJess liave eventually succeeded liad it not been transferred with its prey to 

 the collecting botth>. 



After tlie mid-day halt we still followed the Palmei' up, l)ut now in a valley 

 with the ranges gradually receding on either side until shortly aftc^r sunset we 

 readied a spr)t close to the source of the I'iver wliere the hills on tlie one side ran 

 away southwards and on the other towards the north-east, the \alley itself 

 opening out westwards into tlie br'tad INlissionary Plains. 



Here close to the base of a projecting, somewhat conical hill known as Pine 

 Point we camped for tlie night. 



Early next moi'iiing we passed over a low rise separating the Palmer valley 

 from the plains. The latter form a long stretcli of country some twenty miles in 

 l)readth which runs oast and west. On the north they are bounded by the 

 McDonnell Ranges and on the south liy the James Range, which towards the o.ist 

 run in a north-easterly direction so as gradually to narrow in this end of the plains. 

 Westwards they stretch away to open out into the desert sandhill country lying 

 beyond tlic mountain range.s. 



As soon as we came upon the plains wc found oui'selvos in a belt of grass 

 trees (Plate 4) belonging to a species not liithcrto (U\scribed. The first specimens 

 with which we came in contact were shown to Professor Tale along the \alley of 

 the Palmer, some few miles north of the TUai'a Water hole, by Mr. Thornton of 

 Tenipe Downs, after whom the species has l)een named (Xaiilliomra Thoriitoiii). 

 They seem to stretch in a narrow belt some seventy miles in length right across 

 the plains as far as (Jlen Editli in the neighljouihood of which they were again 

 seen by Professor Tate. The larger specimens have <a stem some five or six feet 

 higli with a crown of long wiry leaves and a flowering stalk the top of which is 

 fully tweh'e feet abo\'e the ground. Tn general appearance tliey are much lilce 

 the larger grass tree (A', /iiajof), but can easily be distinguished from this by 

 t.heir much more liueai' leaves. They form a good examjile of several species of 



