. The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. HEAD OF THE VALLEY QUAIL. THE RIVERS OF THE GREAT SOUTHERN CONTINENT. 413 While Frank was busy with the study of the birds of Australia, Fredcontemplated with great care the map of the country. He observedthat all the mountain ranges were near the coast, so that the course ofthe larger rivers was towards the interior. • There is not, said he inhis
. The boy travellers in Australasia : adventures of two youths in a journey to the Sandwich, Marquesas, Society, Samoan and Feejee islands, and through the colonies of New Zealand, New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia. HEAD OF THE VALLEY QUAIL. THE RIVERS OF THE GREAT SOUTHERN CONTINENT. 413 While Frank was busy with the study of the birds of Australia, Fredcontemplated with great care the map of the country. He observedthat all the mountain ranges were near the coast, so that the course ofthe larger rivers was towards the interior. • There is not, said he inhis note-book, a single large river flowing into the ocean from all thisgreat continent, with the exception of the Murray. Every other streamis short and insignificant; and even the Murray and its tributaries donot form a lirst-class river. Here we are, said Fred, on the head streams of the Darling, oneof the rivers that unite with the Murray to pour into the sea through. A QUAIL FAMILY. Lake Alexandria, between Melbourne and Adelaide. On looking at themap I thought we should be able to descend in a boat to the ocean, butMr. Watson tells us we can do nothing of the sort. Some of the riverson the maps are at this season simply dry beds, though at times theyhave water enough to float a first-class boat from the Mississippi. Steamboats have ascended the Darling to Walgett, 23-i5 miles fromthe sea, but they can only do so at certain, or rather uncertain, times,and therefore no dependence can be placed on the navigation of theMurray and its tributaries. The Darling depends on flood-waters; some-times they will fill the stream to its junction with the Murra}^, and thenceto the sea, and again the} fail before going half way. The river cannever be navigated throughout the year, and in some years boats arenot able to run at all. 414 THE BOY TRAVELLEES IN AUSTRALASIA. So my scheme of going down by water to the ocean is not practi-cable, and we return to the coas
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