Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.3)

Jan. 1836. new south wales. 527 victim. But the ant enjoyed a better fate tlian the fly, and escaped the fatal jaws wliich lay concealed at the base of the conical hollow. There can be no doubt but that this pre- dacious larva belongs to the same genus with the European kind, though to a different species. Now what would the sceptic say to this ? Would any two workmen ever have hit upon so beautiful, so simple, and yet so artificial a con- trivance ? It cannot be thought so : one Hand has surely worked throughout the universe. January 20th. — A long day's ride to Bathurst. Before joining the high road we followed a mere path through the forest ; and the country, with the exception of a few squatters' huts, was very solitary. A " squatter" is a freed, or " ticket of leave" man, who builds a hut with bark on unoccupied ground, buys or steals a few animals, sells spirits without a licence, receives stolen goods, — and so at last becomes rich and turns farmer: he is the horror of all his honest neighbours. A " crawler" is an assigned convict, who runs away, and lives how he can, by labour and petty theft. The '' bush ranger " is an open villain, who subsists by highway robbery and plunder: generally he is desperate, and will sooner be kUled than taken alive. In the country it is necessary to understand these three names, for they are in common use. This day we experienced the sirocco-like wind of Austra- lia, which comes from the parched deserts of the interior. Clouds of dust were travelling in every direction ; and the wind felt like that which has passed over a fire. I after- wards heard that the thermometer out of doors stood at 119°, and in a room in a closed house at 96°. In the afternoon we came in view of the downs of Bathurst. These undulating, but nearly level plains are very remarkable in this country, from being absolutely destitute cf a single tree. They sup- port only a very thin brown pasture. We rode some miles across this kind of country, and then reached the township of Bathurst, which is seated in the middle of what may be called either a very broad valley or narrow plain.