WILD FOWL. 
85 
rugged nature of the back country, generally about 
three hundred feet above the level of the sea, now 
compelled me to keep the beach for five miles, from 
which I was then again driven by the hills ter- 
minating abruptly towards the sea, and forcing me 
to scale a steep stony range, which for four miles and 
a half kept us incessantly toiling up one rugged 
ascent after another. We then came to an extensive 
hollow, being a partial break in the fossil formation, 
and having two large lakes and many smaller ones 
interspersed over its surface. Around the margins 
of the lakes we again found timber— the tea-treeand 
the bastard gum. The water in the lakes was salt, 
but some slight elevations of granite afforded us in 
their hollows an abundance of water for ourselves 
and horses. The traces of natives were numerous 
and recent, but yet we saw none. Swans, ducks, 
and wild fowl of various kinds were in great numbers, 
and kept up an unceasing noise at night whilst 
passing from one lake to the other. Our stage had 
been twelve miles and a half, but the hilly and 
rugged nature of the road had made it severe upon 
the horses, whilst the wet overhead and the wet 
grass under our feet made it equally harassing to 
ourselves. From our encampment some white drifts 
in the coast line bore S. 35° E., and probably were 
the 4 4 white streak in the sand-hills ” of Flinders. 
June 21. — We did not get away until late, but 
the dew had been so heavy during the night that 
even then the shrubs and bushes wet us completely 
