62 
INTERCOURSE WITH NATIVES. 
try. We soon, however, got on a light rotten earth, and 
were again obliged to j make for the river, with the teams 
completely exhausted. We had not travelled many miles 
from our last camp, yet it struck me, that the river had 
fallen off in appearance. I examined it with feelings of 
intense anxiety, certain, as I was, that the flooded spaces, 
over which we had been travelling would, sooner or later, 
be succeeded by a country overgrown with reeds. The 
river evidently overflowed its banks, on both sides, for 
many miles, nor had I a doubt that, at some periods, the 
space northward, between it and the Lachlan, presented the 
appearance of one vast sea. The flats of polygonum 
stretched away to the N. W. to an amazing distance, as 
well as in a southerly direction, and the very nature of the 
soil bore testimony to its flooded origin. But the most un- 
accountable circumstance to me was, that it should be 
entirely destitute of vegetation, with the exception of the 
gloomy and leafless bramble I have noticed. 
M‘Leay, who was always indefatigable in his pursuit 
after subjects of natural history, shot a cockatoo, of a new 
species, hereabouts, having a singularly shaped upper man- 
dible. It was white, with scarlet down under the neck 
feathers, smaller than the common cockatoo, and remark- 
able for other peculiarities. 
Two or three natives made their appearance at some dis- 
tance from the party, but would not approach it until after 
we had halted. They then came to the tents, seven in 
number, and it was evident from their manner, that their 
