42 CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN 



the water ; it is now filled up with sand and is only used, I imagine, 

 when the rock water has dried up, and as that has such a noble 

 catchment area of rock sloping into it, it must he a rare thing for 

 the blacks to have to appeal to the well, their requirements for 

 water being confined to what they actually drink, using none for 

 either washing or cooking. This reservoir must be viewed by them 

 as permanent. Rock specimens No. 72 collected from the rock 

 formation of banks south of the Davenport Hills. Bar. 28'llOin., 

 ther. 68° at 5 p.m. 



Tuesday, June 1 1 th. — Camp No. 44 ; S. latitude 23° 53' 10". Bar. 

 28'loOin. ther. 58° at sunrise. Dense fog this morning, which did 

 not lift until mid-day. — I deem the position of this spot of sufficient 

 importance to fix its position, and as it was too cloudy last night, I 

 have decided to stay here to day in the hope of a starlight night. 

 On a careful examination of the rock water, I find it is about 6ft. 

 deep. 10 yards long, and 5 yards broad, and is situated about 200 

 yards southerly from the well. It is on the top of a stony rise, with 

 nothing to indicate its presence until you are at its brink, sand- 

 stone rock being all round. The peculiarity of these hills — ridges 

 I think would be the more descriptive word — is that they are 

 nearly surrounded and covered with mulga scrub. Several smaller 

 rock holes are in the vicinity, and at the foot of their western 

 slope the traveller will find some few hundred acres of excellent 

 grass land, good feed for horses or camels, which in this region is 

 almost as scarce as water. Several little channels and runnels have 

 only just stopped running, although it is now a fortnight or more 

 since the rain, showing, I imagine, that, although the upper rock 

 is split or broken up into confused and irregular masses, there lies 

 below an unbroken surface, which, dipping to the west and receiv- 

 ing the rainfall from the rocks overlying them, discharges the 

 water into the little creeks to the westward, where the sandhills 

 immediately swallow it up. Directly around this locality are 

 small outcrops of white sandstone, the exposed surface of which 

 is reddened from decomposition, giving them almost a purple 

 appearance, which is heightened by contrast with the sombre 

 foliage of the mulga that grows round about them. The pine trees 

 usually found on sandstone banks are not found here. The smoke 

 of native fires were seen around, but no natives put in an ap- 

 pearance. These rocks and reservoirs I hav« named the " Warman 

 Rocks," after one of my companions on this and other journeys in 

 the interior. Owing to the continued clouded weather I have been 

 unable to fix my position during the past two or three days, but 

 this morning took observations, and found my latitude to be 23° 

 53' 10". Bar. 28T00in., ther. 78° at 5 p.m. 



Wednesday, June \2th. — Camp No. 45. Bar. 28"125in., ther. 

 61° at sunrise. Sultry and cloudy, with appearance of rain. — 

 These banks of sandstone run north and south, Mount Leisler 

 bearing N. 10° W. Started at 8-10 a.m., on a bearing S. 46° E. 



