It was something, even by this short distance, to precede my companions in the exciting work of discovery--to tread alone the solitary glades upon which, till now, no native of the civilized West had set his foot--and to muse in solemn and unbroken silence upon the ultimate results of the work to which the last few days had been devoted--to mark the gradual but certain progression of civilization and christianity--and to breathe forth, unwitnessed and uninterrupted, the scarce coherent words of thankful adoration for the providential care which had hitherto sustained and directed us.
RETURN HOMEWARDS.
November 12.
I found our invalid so much recovered to-day, that I determined on making a short march homewards in the cool of the early morning.

We reached Tortoise Reach by 8 o'clock A.M.where we passed the day.

During our morning's walk I again had the luck to knock over a kangaroo.

It was a female, and had a very young one in its pouch.

It is worthy of remark that most of those I killed were does, with young ones of different ages, which afforded Mr.Bynoe the means of making some interesting observations on the manner in which they are brought forth, which will be found further on in the part of the work relating to Houtman's Abrolhos, where more opportunities occurred of arriving at a satisfactory result.
Mr.Bynoe added here to his collection of birds, to which also, I was so fortunate as to be able to contribute a beautiful specimen of a rifle-green glossy ibis, common in Europe.