y5) 
51’ 55” EK. J attended to various camp matters this morning, Mr. 
Belt assisting me by taking an inventory of our stores. In the 
afternoon he and I visited Mr, Ragget’s store in the township. and 
purchased an additional supply of rations. After this we paid a 
social visit to the telegraph station, returning in the evening to 
the camp, so as to enable me to complete my work. Professors- 
Tate and Spencer and Mr. Watt visited a fresh water lagoon south 
of our camp and Mr. Keartland certain caves in the same neigh- 
borhood from which the white bats given to us were obtained. 
Tuesday, July 17th. — Bar. 28-06in., ther. 32°. Last night 
the thermometer descended to 17°. It was my intention to move 
southward to-day. Professors Tate and Spencer, however, desired 
permission to remain here another day. I fell in with this idea, 
more especially as the arrangement gave me the opportunity of 
completing my work and of obtaining additional magnetic obser- 
vations. I now returned the camels obtained here for the two 
Government prospectors, Pritchard and Russell. The engagement 
of these two practical miners expires to-day, and in justice to them 
I must say that better men for the work allotted to them could not 
have been selected. ‘True their search for auriferous areas has not 
met with success; but that fact has not been due in any way to 
want of skill or enthusiasm on their part. In the afternoon Pro- 
fessor Spencer suggested that he should remain at Alice Springs 
until the 4th of August, pointing out that by availing himself of 
the mail coach he could rejoin the party at Oodnadatta. His 
motive for wishing to stay here for this extended period is to 
obtain additional specimens of a new marsupial supplied to the 
expedition by Mr. South, and to study the habits of a pecular 
sound-emitting spider obtained from Mr. Gillen. Feeling assured 
that Mr. Horn would approve of such a proceeding as tending 
to further the objects of the expedition, I readily agreed to the 
suggestion and furnished the professor with the necessary funds 
for carrying out his plan. Mr. Watt desired to make use of the 
opportunity to visit the auriferous area of the Eastern Macdonnell 
Ranges and the ruby fields. Mr. Horn, having expressed a wish 
that this should, if possible, be done by the party, I detached one 
of the prospectors, C. Pritchard, to accompany Mr. Watt on this 
journey, for which Mr. South generously offered to furnish the 
necessary horses. Mr. Gillen in the evening photographed the 
members of the expedition at our camp. Mr. Belt to-day ascended 
the high range near the camp—which I named during my trigono- 
metrical and exploratory expedition of 1877-1881 Mount Gillen— 
in search of novelties for the several collections. After an arduous 
journey of many hours over rough ranges he returned to camp, 
