LXXII. R. T. McKAY. 
flow of the mainriver, and the bulk of rain that falls on the 
catchment is either lost by evaporation or in the under- 
ground porous strata. Mr. H.C. Russell, late Government 
Astronomer,’ however, states that :— 
‘“This view may be pressed somewhat too far, and will have to 
be modified to admit that in heavy rains water does reach the 
Darling from it. On the 21st January, 1885, a remarkable rain- 
storm entered this colony in the north-west, not far from Milparinka, 
and travelled at the rate of about seven miles per hour, straight 
across country to the sea in an E.S.E. direction. On all the 
country round Wilcannia from 10 to 11 inches of rain fell in about 
40 hours. ‘The river had been very low for months before, but 
sufficient water from this rain-storm ran off the comparatively flat 
country to make a flood in the Darling at Wilcannia, which 
reached a maximum height of 28 feet above summer level. This 
flood did not subside to the old Jevel until February 26th, which 
was clear proof that the rain water not only filled the river, but 
continued to drain intoit for several weeks. Certainly the water 
did not come past Bourke, which, being in the margin of the storm, 
was but little affected by it; and the river measures there showed 
that the only rise reached its maximum of 4 feet, and was all over 
in four days. There was no other possible way for it to come 
but off the country about Wilcannia, where the rain-storm passed 
over.” 
Plain Country contributes during periods of sudden rain. 
The instance given shows that the plain country of the 
Darling, although regarded as a non-effective area, does 
contribute during periods of sudden and heavy rain. 
Although the Darling watershed is sparsely populated, the 
pastoralists take great interest in forwarding returns of 
the rainfall to the Government Meteorologist, and there 
are a sufficient number of rain gauges to show with a 
reasonable degree of accuracy what the rainfall is. Through 
* «Source of Underground Waterin Western Districts. This Journal, 
XXIII., 1889. 
