20 O'DoNCGHUE, Rambles in Raak . [v(M"^xxxiil 



Black-eared Miner and the White-browed Babbler. Pomato- 

 rhinus sitperciliosus, and the Emu-bush by the Spiny-cheeked 

 and Singing Honey-eaters. Among the more lowly forms of 

 vegetation observed were the Club Moss Aster, Olearia 

 lepidophylla, the Spreading Scurf-Pea, Psoralen patens, var. 

 cinerea, the Stiff Westringia, Westringia rigida, the Hairy 

 Blennodia, Blennodia lasiocarpa, and the Sand Brome and Scaly 

 Meadow-grass, Bromiis arenarius and Poa lepida. The Burr 

 Forget-me-not, Lappiila concava, and the Narrow Thread Petal, 

 Stenopetalnm lineare, grew profusely, the former occasioning us 

 much inconvenience owing to the tenacity with which its 

 fruitlets adhered by their spinular asperities to our clothing. 



A nest of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, Uroaetiis auda.w was found 

 in a large tree of the Tall Mallee, associated with several 

 Crows' nests. The food on which the eaglets had been nurtured 

 was e\ddenced by scores of skulls and other skeletal parts of 

 the rabbit that strewed the ground at the base of the tree. The 

 reason of the association of the nests of the two birds might 

 be surmised from the presence of these bones ; the wily 

 Crow, no doubt, having realized that, in the vicinity of the 

 Eagles' eyrie, an abundant supply of food for itself and nest- 

 lings could be obtained with little exertion owing to the 

 prodigal habits of the bird of prey. The Eagle's nest was a 

 bulky one, and Johnny was induced to ascend the tree and 

 pose therein whilst a series of photographs were taken. 

 During this outing the number of pits of the ant lion that 

 fretted the sandy soil occasioned surprise. So closely were 

 they set that at every step at least a dozen of them were 

 destroyed, and their concealed occupant perturbed. 



On this ramble, and during our subsequent ones, we noticed, 

 particularly in the early morning and late in the evening, fresh 

 moist soil on the lip of numerous narrow, elongated openings 

 leading at an angle of 45° or thereabouts int(j the ground. To 

 our query relative to the identity of the creatures responsible 

 for such excavations, Johnny replied, " Lizards," and when 

 questioned as to the cause actuating them to burrow, he 

 intimated that the lizards preyed on the trap-door spiders, 

 and consequently had to dig to satisfy their desires. As the 

 lidded domiciles of these spiders were extremely numerous in 

 the friable soil, and ranged from the size of a pin's head to the 

 diameter of a shilling, we assumed tliat the explanation given 

 was correct, but with innate scepticism kept a watch to detect 

 the lizard at its task. One evening, whilst returning in the 

 gloaming to our hut after an extensive ramble, we chanced upon 

 a pile of loose sand beside an excavation that undoubtedly 

 proved, by its fresh appearance, to have been recently brought 

 from below. Mining operations for the miner were at once 



