Journals of Australian ExplorationsGregory, Augustus Charles
History
Journals of Australian Explorations
Gregory, Augustus Charles
Australia -- Discovery and exploration
13th February.
At 6.50 a.m. followed the valley of the creek to the west, passing some
fine flats with high grass, but the country generally very poor and
thinly wooded with white-gum and silver-leafed ironbark; at 10.40 halted
at a small waterhole at the foot of a low granite ridge; at 3.0 p.m.
ascended the granite hills, which rose abruptly 100 to 150 feet above the
plain, and extended about five miles to the south and east; to the west
the sandstone covered the granite and formed a level tableland or plain;
to the north a valley trended to the west, on the northern side of which
the hills appeared to be granitic. Returning to the camp, examined a deep
rocky ravine and found some small pools of water which might last for
nearly another month.
Latitude by Castor and Pollux 18 degrees 11 minutes 20 seconds.
PIGEONS AND SEA-GULLS.
14th February.
Leaving the camp at 6.0 a.m., steered an average course of north 300
degrees east; crossing the granite ridge, we entered a level sandy
country with much scrub, which was traversed till 8.40, when we entered a
wide grassy plain extending to the north-west, in which direction we
steered till 2.10 p.m., when we halted at a small muddy puddle two inches
deep and three yards wide. Then rode on with Mr. H. Gregory to search for
a larger supply of water, and found a shallow pool about a mile distant,
to which the party moved and encamped. Although this pool was not 100
yards long and six inches deep, a large flock of ducks, snipe, and small
gulls, were congregated at it, several thousand pigeons of species new to
us came to drink. These pigeons keep in flocks of from ten to more than a
thousand, feeding on the seeds of the grass on the open plains, as they
never alight on trees. They are somewhat larger than the common
bronze-wing; the head is black, with a little white at the base of the
beak and behind the eye; back pale brown; breast, blue; throat marked
with white; wings with white tips to the feathers and a small patch of
bronze; tail short, tip white; feet, dull red. The evening and night were
cloudy.
WILD RICE.
15th February.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account