Report on the work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia . a, dcip wa-ter-hule str(;tcliing right across betweenthe rocks.* The southern gorge was considtnvibly larger and much wider and the sandybed of the river was bordered by steep l)anks covered with scrub, bcliind whichruse the steep clilis. Along the sandy bed were^ fair sized pools of water, somedecidedly brackish, others more fresh and lined with rushes. The only really freshwater was in a small spring on the steep western bank and this only held about abucket-full of water at a time. We camped ))y the river on a wide,
Report on the work of the Horn Scientific Expedition to Central Australia . a, dcip wa-ter-hule str(;tcliing right across betweenthe rocks.* The southern gorge was considtnvibly larger and much wider and the sandybed of the river was bordered by steep l)anks covered with scrub, bcliind whichruse the steep clilis. Along the sandy bed were^ fair sized pools of water, somedecidedly brackish, others more fresh and lined with rushes. The only really freshwater was in a small spring on the steep western bank and this only held about abucket-full of water at a time. We camped ))y the river on a wide, open Hat inthe Horn Valley, whence^ we could work easily in liotli directions as we werehopeful that the juesence of the water-holes might be associated with the ])reserva,-tion of foiins typical of the McDonnell district cand not yet secured. Though a ftnv interesting f(jrms were fuund yet un the whole the result wasvery disappointing. At the northern entrance to the gorge, upon the rocks, was * 111 tlio map the tiaiiic of this (Jorffr is printed Pike instead of HORN EXPEDITION—NARRATIVE. 109 growiiiL; a species of .Swiiinsoiiia (S. ca/icsaus) wliicli was only met witli in oneotliei- spot along tlie Todd Puver. Under the rocks and stones and drl/is on tlieliill sides were colonies of molluscs, one of which {Aut:;nscl/a i!/ai;c/r//s) a littlesnail with a series of small plate-like iil)s imining across the wiioi-ls was new andwas only found in this one spot. The water-holes apart from the usual species of fish yielded nothing. Theentire absence of frogs was very noticeahle, as the ruslies w Inch !;iew in piofusionround the water-pools might have been expected to harhoiir a certain ninnher, hutnot one was to be seen or heard, their al)sence being |)rob,ibly associated with theslight brackishness of the water. Aiound the spring on the western bank was a patch of black earth in whichwere found a consideral)le number of the earthworms prcN ionsly alluded to- theircocoons,
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectnaturalhistory, booky
