Country between More ton Bay and Port Essington. 105 
Of fishes we observed several small ones belonging to the 
perches, one probably belonging to the carps. Eels were in the 
water-holes of the eastern waters. A silurus, a guard fish, the 
broad-scaled fish of the Mackenzie, (a species of ostioglossum,) 
which attains a great size and is excellent eating, seems to live in 
the lagoons, in the rivers, and even in the salt water. A saw fish 
(pristis) which belongs to the sharks, was found far from the sea- 
coast, in a water-hole of the River Lynd. 
Reptiles.—Several species of tiliqua, of scincus, one with a blunt 
tail and nobby scales, of gheckos, of agamas, gramatopliorus, 
chlamydophorus (the Jew-lizard of the Hunter), chlamydosaurus 
kingii, and two or three species of hydrosaurus and the crocodile 
were seen. The latter seems to inhabit the estuaries of all the 
tropical rivers, and was seen several times in large lagoons far in¬ 
land. We heard several times a low bellowing noise along the 
large rivers, which we ascribed to this animal. It is very remarkable 
that the natives which visited Captain Sturt in the desert recog¬ 
nised the crocodile when shown its outline. We observed very 
few snakes; the carpet-snake, a small brownish snake, in the 
water-holes along Comet River, a whip-snake with yellow belly, 
at the Suttor, and a long greyish snake at the East Alligator, 
were all we saw. 
Birds.—Very few new, and no striking species of birds were 
observed along the east coast of Australia. The bustard and the 
emu frequented the plains, both very inferior in size and condition 
to those of the southern parts of Australia. The nest of the 
native turkey (tallegalla lathami), and the bower of the bower-bird 
(chlamydera maculata, Old.), attracted occasionally our attention 
in the scrubs. The cockatoo was, as usual, fond of shady creeks; 
the laughing-jackass chaunted our matins and vespers; the boobook 
or barking bird, and the curlew called during the night; the fan¬ 
tailed fly-catcher and a warbler of the reeds cheered us with their 
pretty song by day. Kites and crows contended with us for our 
meat, as the harpies with iEneas, or came to pick the few bones 
we left, as their share. The black cockatoo was still the most 
wary bird of the bush. The Moreton Bay rosella, red shoulders, 
