Lake St. Clair and Macquarie Harbour. 
427 
distance he cannot lose himself, for he may depend upon it that 
nothing is more easy, and even probable, in these bewildering 
jungles, which are often most baffling even to experienced bush- 
travellers. The uncut portion is a most desperate tea-tree scrub • 
and should the traveller go astray here, the chances are against 
his recovering his way. It was while I was engaged in clearing 
this piece, that I received a hasty note from Sir John Franklin’s 
Aid-de-Camp, directing me to return immediately to Lake St. 
Clair with my party, to accompany His Excellency on his journey 
across the country described in this paper. Beyond this place, 
the track was again well opened to the Gordon; a further distance 
of about 9 miles, (in all about 66 from Lake St. Clair). It is a 
very hilly tract, of little value, covered with a myrtle forest, and 
a close thicket. The path we cut from Marlborough, terminates 
at a navigable point of one of the largest and most beautiful of 
the Tasmanian rivers, the Gordon, about ten miles above the 
point where it is received by that great estuary, Macquarie 
Harbour. 
During my many wanderings across the western districts, I 
remarked with no little surprise, that I scarcely ever saw any 
animals, and very few birds, in all the wide extent of country 
described in this paper. For about 32 weeks I was constantly 
travelling backwards and forwards,—to the right and the left 
and I believe that during all this time, neither myself nor any of 
the men, saw ten kangaroos, or a greater number of wombats. 
It is true I never sought for them, as I kept no dogs. There are 
native cats* in the woods—or, at least, our provisions often suf¬ 
fered from some such marauders. I never met with any ducks, 
quail, snipe, or swans, west of the Derwent; nor many parrots or 
crows, and very few pigeons,—perhaps two or three of the latter 
in all. We saw more black snakes than any thing else, and it is 
to be observed that here, as elsewhere where they live undisturbed, 
they are far from being timid. 
I make no pretensions to a knowledge of botany, so I shall not 
* Dasyurus viverrinus , Geoff.—Ei>. 
