Page:Journals of Several Expeditions Made in Western Australia.djvu/227

 to the traveller is a most troublesome foe; it bears a seed about the size of a millet, one end of which is pointed and barbed; to the other is attached a fine taper tail, about three inches long, having the appearance of two silken threads of different colours, twisted together; in the action of walking, these seeds are brushed off, and, fixing by these barbed points to the stockings, they continue working through it, keeping up a most perplexing irritation on the foot and ancle.

Thus much of notice I paid to the vegetation, as different from what had been previously familiar to my daily observation.

All the rock I saw in my whole march, except that on the estuary at the Vasse, consisted of old red sandstone. It sometimes had large crystals embedded in it; sometimes, particularly in the channels of rivers, it was in slabs, and apparently schistose; at other times it wore almost the form of a conglomerate.

From the rapid where we first made the river at half-past nine, I commenced my course homewards, S.S.W.; the land was generally good, though sometimes sandy; but the spot we had just quitted was a soil of mediocrity. Kangaroos end emus seemed abundant, for we observed their traces in all the places we passed, capable of receiving an impression. We had just arrived on the brink of a small stream, when I was told one of the dogs had been some time missing. We were obliged to wait his return; he detained us three hours, though we dined in the interim, and returned with the same proofs as before of a victory, as he seemed inclined to shew, the men followed him about half a mile, but returned from the fear of losing themselves.

We now walked over large extended plains,