82 
CONTINUE THE JOURNEY 
turned out of the hand of the mason. We counted thirteen 
of these hollows in one spot about twenty-five feet in diame- 
ter, but they are without doubt of periodical formation, 
since a single hollow was observed lower than the summit of 
the hill upon its south extremity, that had evidently long 
been exposed to the action of the atmosphere, and had a 
general coating of moss over it. 
We left Oxley’s Table Land on the morning of the 31st of 
January, pursuing a northern course through the brush and 
across a large plain, moving parallel to the smaller hill, 
and keeping it upon our left. The soil upon this plain 
differed in character from that on the plains to the east- 
ward, and was much freer from sand. We stopped to dine 
at a spot, whence Oxley’s Table Land bore by compass, 
S. by W., distant about twelve miles. Continuing our 
journey, at 2 p. m. we cleared the plain, and entered a 
tract covered with the polygonum junceum, on a soil 
evidently the deposit of floods. Box-trees were thinly 
scattered over it, and among the polygonum, the crested 
pigeons were numerous. These general appearances, toge- 
ther with a dip of country to the N. N. W., made us con- 
clude that we were approaching the creek, and we accord- 
ingly intersected it on a N.N.E. course, at about three 
miles’ distance from where we had dined. It had, how- 
ever, undergone so complete a change, and had increased 
so much in size and in the height of its banks, that we were 
at a loss to recognize it. Still, with all these favourable 
symptoms, there was not a drop of water in it. But small 
