CHAPTER VI. 

 The Higher Steppes. — The McDonnell Ranges. 



Ciiiiip at tiR' IJiisu of Jlouiit JSoiulur— The UotlbauK Creok and (iorye— Desci'iiitioii of Fisli I'omiil in tlic Watci- 

 liolfs-Tln.' Ilurii Valley— Origin of the Ooryes— Camp in the Kinke Gorye — The llare-Wallali.y and Uabliit 

 liundieoots— Travel .South along the Fiidie and aerossthe Missionary I'lains to Herniannsburg— Tlie Mission 

 Station and its Influence on the Natives— Divide into Three Parties — Follow the Finke througli the ..Uiines 

 Range to I'alni Creek— Three Days Camp at I'ahu Creek— Palms and Cyeads— Account of the Aidnad Life 

 of Palm Creek — Kestriction of Species to a Small Area as exemplified by the MoUusca — Return to ller- 

 mamisbnrg— Jerboa Rats and Antecbinom_\ s — Lea\ e llerinaiinsburg — Modification in Form and Colour of 

 the Foli.'ige of Acacia salicina and Mnlga— Camp in tlie Scrub — The Main Camel Team goes on Eastwards 

 along tlic Missionary Plain to Alice Si)rings— A Section of the Party goes North to cross the Ranges to the 

 ISurt Plain— View from the South McDonnell Range- Camp near Paisley lllufT— A Day in Camp— V.arious 

 Forms of Ant Nests— Rock W.all.abies — Method of Carrying the Young in the Pouch, a Se\ere llandicaip to 

 Marsupials in Competition with Rodents— lirinklcy I'.lulT— Traverse the Ranges and L'amp on the liurt 

 Plain Strike the Telegrajib Line and follow it South to Alice Springs— Mr. Watt pays a Flying Visit to the 

 Cold and so-called Ruby Fields— A New Marsuju.al- Tlie lianges at Alice Springs— The Todd River -Conlin 

 Lagoon Various Forms of Phyllopods and their Habits— The so-called Barking .Spider— The Sound probably 

 due to a P.ird -The Presence of a Stridulating Organ in the Si)ider— Leave Alice Springs and tra\el South 

 along the Telegraiih Line to Oodnadatta. 



FitoM (_!l('ii Helen Station, which was tjiiite deserted and in luins, we went a few 

 miles further east and camped close to the base of IMount 8onder. We were at 

 lengtli in the real McDonnell lianges, liut they were very diilereut from what on 

 starting w(' liad expected to find. 13are peaks, some of them nearly 5000 feet 

 high, rose at intervals ahruptly from amongst a, mass of low i-idges ll.iidvcd, 

 especially to the north, l»y jumWed hills. Here and tlic^re creeks forced their way 

 across them through gorges cut deeply in the rocky ridges, but there were no 

 great sheltered valleys or luxuriant vegetation ; evtn'ything was bare and dry 

 excejit for the gums bordering the ci'(-ek Ijeds and the porcupine grass, patches of 

 which extended even to th(,' tops of the highest peaks. 



These peaks are situated in what Messrs. Tate and Watt recognise as the 

 Pri;-Camljrian area. In various parts, such as the Belt llange and INIount Zeil, 

 they consist of cjuartzite capping an underlying mass of Pre-Cambrian gneissic 

 rocks which form the jumViled hills stretching north towards the Burt Plains. 

 Mount Sonder, near to which we were camped, was foimed of Ordovician (piartzite, 

 but in the valley of the Davenport Creek, close Ijy its south-western base, gneissic 

 granite was seen outcropping and representing in all probability an inlier of Pre- 

 Cand)rian rocks. Its southern ba.se was ilanked by low limestone hills and .about a 

 mile to the .south of us across the small alluvial {>l;iin along which the I)aveni)ort 



