188 
IMPEDED RY SHOALS. 
night-lines. Shoals frequently impeded us as we proceeded 
up the liver, and we passed some rapids that called for our 
whole strength to stem. A light wind assisted us on two 
or three of these occasions, and I never failed hoisting 
the sail at every fitting opportunity. In some parts the 
river was extremely shallow, and the sand-banks of amazing 
size ; and the annoyance of dragging the boat over these 
occasional bars, was very great. We passed several tribes 
of blacks on the 19th and 20th; but did not stop to com- 
municate with them. 
I believe I have already mentioned that shortly after we 
first entered the Murray, flocks of a new paroquet passed 
over our heads, apparently emigrating to the N. W. They 
always kept too high to be fired at, but on our return, here- 
abouts, we succeeded in killing one. It made a good ad- 
dition to our scanty stock of subjects of natural history. 
It is impossible to conceive how few of the feathered tribe 
frequent these distant and lonely regions. The common 
white cockatoo is the most numerous, and there are also a 
a few pigeons ; but other birds descend only for water, and 
are soon again upon the wing. Our botanical specimens 
were as scanty as our zoological, indeed the expedition may, 
as regards these two particulars, almost be said to have been 
unproductive. 
When we came down the river, I thought it advis- 
able to lay its course down as precisely as circumstan- 
ces would permit : for this purpose I had a large compass 
always before me, and a sheet of foolscap paper. As soon 
