HORN EXPEDITION — NAKHATIVE. 121 



rarest and most dillicult to secure of the smaller luarsiniials. At lirst siylit in 

 shape, size and colour when hopping along on the ground it bears a striking 

 resemblance to the little rodent Hapalolis niitiluili which is widely distrilnited 

 over the central district but it is more slender in build and of course the shape of 

 the liead, when seen close to, distinguishes it at once. The most numerous of the 

 smaller mammals are undoubtedly the various species of Mus and Hapalotis, next 

 to tlieni but far less connnon is probably Swinthopsis crassicaudata. The scarcity 

 of Antechinomys is rather strange as its habits do not bring it into direct 

 competition with the rodents except so far as each of them has taken on the 

 same methoil t)f travelling by jumping. All the small rodents and the marsupials 

 rcfei'red to live side by side in Inirrows on the hard hiamy Hats amongst the scrub, 

 and in the matter of speed the marsupials, so fai' as can be judged, can get over 

 the ground as rapidly as the rodents. 



It is, however, tjuite p(wsil)le that the female when cai-ryiug young is somt;- 

 what handicapped and ma,y be more easily caught by birds of prey and, as noted 

 elsmvhere, a very slight difference in speed when a havvk is in jiursuit and the 

 little animal is seeking the shelter of a bush or tussock of grass may save, ur- lose 

 it, its life. 



On Monday, 9th July, we left Herniannsburg and travelhxl eastwarils ovei' 

 the Missionary Plains. At noon we struck the Ellery Creek bordered with good 

 sized red-gums and containing along its bed a few scattered water-hules : a few 

 miles to the south of us it ran into a gorge in the James Range on its vvay to 

 join the Finke to the south of the (Jlen of Palms. 



The plain was slightly undidating and covered witii the usual scruli of Malice 

 gum (principally Eucalyptus oleosa), Mulga, Cassias and Eremophilas. There were 

 now and again very tine specimens, as much as forty or fifty feet in height, of 

 Acacia saliciiia the leaves of which in some cases hung down l)elow the twigs 

 leaving these bare above, so much .so that the tree had sometimes the appearance 

 of a weeping willow. In other cases the pendant arrangement was nothing like 

 so strongly marked. We saw also in various parts curious modifications of the 

 Mulga ; its foliage varied considerably in hue from an olive-green to bluish-grey. 

 Amongst the sandhills, for example, between Lake Amadeus and Ayers Rock the 

 latter tint prevailed and in addition the thin branches were given off almost 

 horizontally from a central stem forming a tree of a very different appearance 

 from that seen in most parts where the brandies were nothing like so horizontally 

 disposed but more divergent like the ribs of a fan and the foliage was more olive- 

 green in colour. 



