EXPLORING EXPEDITION. 



specimen of the Zamia palm is growing, but whether indigenous or 

 not I cannot say. Upon my arrival at Alice Springs on the 28th 

 February, I placed my two aneroids beside the standard mercurial 

 barometer at the telegraph station, and Mr. McKay, the officer 

 in charge, kindly adjusted them to it and made hourly comparisons, 

 and up to the time of my leaving on VI arch 1 2th they were quite 

 consistent ; but the short journey here has so affected them that, 

 with the thermometer at 100° in the shade, they show a difference 

 of - 420. I propose after this to give the readings of the most 

 consistent, besides keeping a daily record of the differences. 

 •Weather cloudy, bar. 27'620in., ther. 102° in the shade at 3 p.m. 



Saturday, March \&th. — Camp No. 1, Painta Springs. Bar. 

 27 , 729in., ther. 94°. — While at Bond Springs, Fred Warman was 

 bitten by some venomous insect upon the cheek; this swelled up and 

 became so inflamed that it seriously affected his eyesight. I there- 

 fore decided not to move the party for a few days, and resolved 

 upon examining the ranges in the vicinit) 7 for minerals, sketching 

 in details, and making myself acquainted with the country to the 

 westward as far as practicable. Upon these short journeys I took 

 the black tracker Billy, leaving Warman, Beetson, and the small boy 

 (Weei) at the main camp. Following up the range in a westerly 

 direction for seven miles I came to a pass, which appeared to be 

 much used by cattle. Continuing for two miles I entered upon a 

 saltbush plain, which appeared to be hemmed in on all sides by 

 hills of considerable elevation. A small gum creek traversed it in 

 a northerly direction, which, forcing itself through the range, 

 emptied itself upon the Burt Plain. Travelling south-westerly, in 

 four miles I had crossed this plain, and was face to face with ranges 

 that I found it difficult to travel over with my present light 

 equipment, and which would be quite impassable for the heavily- 

 loaded camels of the caravan. After about three miles of severe 

 stony travelling, I reached the watershed, and a long leading 

 valley took me, in about four miles, to a gum creek flowing 

 southerly towards the Jay Creek. Here I turned the camels out 

 for the night. There was the most knuiriant feed imaginable, and 

 a little water found in the sand was abundant for all requirements. 

 The afternoon and evening had been close, heavy thunder clouds 

 obscured the sky, and there was every indication of a thunderstorm. 

 The following morning broke bright and clear, every sign of rain 

 having vanished. I now took up a south-westerly course, and 

 travelled for six miles over low granite hills, showing basalt, gneiss, 

 and schistose slates. The ranges now became more rugged and 

 precipitous, and, finding it would be quite impossible to bring the 

 caravan this way, I turned north-westerly upon this bearing. I 

 travelled for nine miles over very rough country, the camels with 

 difficulty keeping their feet upon the steep slopes and stony uneven 

 surface. I then struck a small ti-tree creek, following this down 

 I was glad to find myself upon the Burt Plain and good travelling 

 ground. 



