The bird, called by the colonists at Port Jackson the native companion (Ardea antigone, Linn.) was seen where the natives were.
As we returned several alligators swam past the boat; but they were neither so large nor so numerous as those of the Alligator Rivers; the largest not being more than twelve or thirteen feet long.

Upon seeing these monsters we congratulated ourselves on our escape, for had we known of their existence in this river before we passed the night on its bank, the danger of being surprised by the natives and the stings of the mosquitoes would have dwindled into insignificance in comparison with the presence of such voracious animals.

On our return down the river a snake was seen about five feet long, of a light red colour, but it escaped by gliding into the long matted grass.
August 7.
On the 7th we left the river and proceeded to the westward; round Point Hawkesbury the land falls back extending first in a south-west, and then in a west-north-west direction, until it was lost to our view behind a point, which we afterwards discovered to be the Point Braithwaite of our last voyage, the land of which had the appearance of being an island.
The bay thus formed was called Junction Bay; it was not examined, but, from the direction of its trend, did not appear likely to afford much interest, and could lead to no opening of importance.
August 8.
At eight o'clock the next morning we were near Goulburn Island, steering through Macquarie Strait; and at eleven o'clock we anchored in South-west Bay, near our former watering-place.
As soon as the vessel was secured I went on shore to examine whether water could be obtained.

In this object we were successful; and a basin was dug to receive the water that drained through the cliffs; but, from the advanced state of the dry season, it did not flow in half the quantity that it did last year.

The vegetation appeared to have suffered much from drought and the grass, which at our last visit was long and luxuriant, was now either parched up by the sun or destroyed by the natives' fires, which at this time were burning on the low land in front of Wellington Range.
In the evening I went to Bottle Rock, but found our bottle had been removed; the rocks were covered with the eggs of terns, of which the boat's crew collected eight dozen.