144 C. J. McMASTER. 
“‘ Under the influence of westerly drought winds, the soil— 
loose and dry under the combined action of stock and drought, 
and absence of vegetation—is lifted and carried in clouds of dust 
in a north-easterly direction, the density of the dust-storms depend- 
ing upon the force of the wind, and during the past five years of 
drought, occasionally the dust has so obscured the sun at midday, 
that it became necessary to light lamps indoors to carry on business, 
and I have frequently been caught in such storms whilst travelling, 
and on two such occasions I was unable to see the horses in the 
buggy in front of me through the dust. Work under these con- 
ditions is almost impossible, but fortunately the severe dust-storms 
are not of frequent occurrence. | 
‘The dust and sand carried by these wind-storms is reddish in 
colour and its course is arrested by brush or log fences and yards, 
wire netting fences, or fences against which débris has collected. 
In places where the wind has a clear sweep across open ground, 
the average height of the sand silting against brush yards or nett- 
ing fences is about four feet.” 
Referring to some improvements that were affected by 
the drifting-sands, he says :— 
“These siltings, together with the silting up of a running artesian 
bore drain, occurred to the north-east of an artificially cleared 
cultivation paddock, about 100 acres in extent, the soil being blown 
off the exposed surface of the ground, and carried about half a 
mile on to the buildings, drain and yard. Shifting or rolling 
sandhills are almost invariably found on the eastern side of open 
country or land cleared of its natural covering of vegetation. The 
sandhill of which I enclose levels, is an isolated strip of red sandy 
soil surrounded by the Cuttaburra Creek, a watercourse of level 
grey sedimentary clay, liable to inundation during high floods. 
‘“‘The isolated sandhills to the east of open country or clay pans 
are the only really shifting sands, the movement being in an 
easterly direction. During windy drought a hard red soil or 
sand base is left on the western side of the sandhills, and the 
eastern side presents a steep loose sandy face, cliff-like in appear- 
