28 CENTRAL AUSTRALIAN 



the Magarey Range bears 68° 30', distant about forty miles. Beet- 

 son planted a few seeds of the date palm, and peach, melon in the 

 rich soil close to the running water at the camp, and as they will 

 be protected from the frost by the long kangaroo grass it is possible 

 they may survive. Mr. Ernest Giles, when at Glen Edith many 

 years ago planted several kinds of seeds, but no results of his labors 

 are to be seen there to-day. The insect kingdom so largely repre- 

 sented in these regions must devour the seeds before they germi- 

 nate. I can account for the failures in no other way: but as his 

 were planted in October, when the young plants wovdd have the 

 full force of a summer sun to contend with in their infancy, that 

 may be the reason of their failure. Seeds planted after a strong 

 heavy rain and at a more seasonable time of the year may succeed, 

 but I have tried planting at all seasons and at all times with but 

 the same disappointing result, even if one germinates and flourishes 

 and cast its seed, these are greedily devoured by the myriads of 

 ants that infest the Avhole interior. Took several photographs 

 to day. Rock specimens collected, Nos. 49 to 57. Bar. 28210 

 in., ther. 68° at 5 p.m. 



Saturday, May 25th.— Camp No. 34. Bar. 28-250in., ther. 48° 

 at sunrise. — Started at 10 past 9 on a bearing of N. 65° W., in 

 three miles we were clear of the hills and then entered upon ex- 

 tensive spinifex plains with dwarf acacias and occasional clumps 

 of mulga. Camped at 5" 1 5 after travelling twenty-one miles ; a 

 few mulga bushes around the camp were cut down for food for the 

 camels. No sign of any animal life met with to-day. Bar. 

 28-500 in., ther. 66° at 5 p.m. 



Sunday, May 26th— Camp No. 35. Bar. 28-540in., ther. 52°.— 

 Strong east wind, cloudy. Hastened away from this wretched 

 camp at 8 - 20, buoyed up with the hope that the mountains now so 

 close to us may be the threshold of a more promising country. 

 Travelled for nine miles over' the same flat firm spinifex country, 

 when we came to a sandhill. One mile from this we were on stony 

 country, where there were a few casuarina ; turning northerly for 

 two miles reached the eastern extremity of the range, here there 

 was a small area covered with bloodwood trees and very beautiful 

 grass. I cannot tell how frequently and how eagerly the glasses 

 have been directed towards this feature, each time with the hope 

 of detecting a dark line that would indicate the timber of a water- 

 course ; we have now arrived at the base of the bold, abrupt, and 

 rugged bluff, evidently over 1,000 feet above the plain, but as yet 

 no sign of a creek or even a drop of water. There is the most 

 luxuriant green-feed for the camels, upon which they would do very 

 well without water for a day or two, but they required food and 

 rest quite as much as water, and as those requirements are to be 

 met with here I decided to turn them out, and while the unpacking 

 was being done I hurried on to reconnoitre. Travelled along the 

 foot of the range over very stony ground, to the south was a part 



