EUPODOTIS. 



243 



he nest ftoni a southerly direction, she could easily see me a mile away, and would leave the 

 nest and sneak away when she was only just visible to the naked eye, even when I knew where 

 to look for her. From another nest found on Barwon Park Station, Whinchelsea, Victoria, by 

 my late father, the sitting bird was flushed while driving past in a buggy. Male Bustards in 

 N'ictoria grow to a great size. I have shot them as much as thirty-two pounds in weight (in the 

 feathers) but in my life time were never in very great numbers, but on Murdeduke Station, 

 near Whinchelsea fwhere they were strictly protected), I once counted eighty-three within 

 a mile of the homestead, many of them being just outside the garden fence. On this occasion, 

 as a special favour, the owner (the late Mr. l^eter Mclntyre) gave me permission to shoot 

 one. I selected a very large male, and using a 44 calibre Winchester rille, put five bullets 

 through the bird before I could get my hands on it, and that only after a chase of some miles, 

 after firing the first shot. Bustards when approached often have a habit of hiding, when some- 

 times it is difficult to Hush them. On one occasion, when on Narromine Station, New South 

 Wales, I was sent out to try and shoot a ' Turkey '; after hunting the greater part of the day, 

 without having seen one, I was coming home, when I saw a very small female, which walked 

 behind a cotton bush and sat down. I jumped off my horse and walked up fairly close, but could 

 see no sign of the bird, and three tunes I walked completely round the bush, but saw no ' Turkey,' 

 so I turned and started to walk the other way. I had only taken a few steps, when I me't 

 her sneaking round, and a bullet ended all her cunning craft, but I have often thought since she 

 deserved her liberty. In the early days in Victoria, before they were protected throughout the 

 year, we had two ways of getting near enough to shoot them with a gun; one was^'to drive 

 round and round in a buggy, at a fairly fast trot, gradually decreasing the circle until 

 within range; although this plan often worked well with birds which had been little disturbed, 

 the most successful plan was for the shooter to jump out of the buggy (while it was being driven 

 along) into any convenient cover, such as tussocks, and lie down, the person in the buggy would 

 then drive right away round behind the bird, and working backwards and forwards'in a half 

 circle, drive it up to the gun." 



Mr. W. M. Thomas, District Surveyor, Lands Office, Grafton, New South Wales, wrote:— 

 " The Australian Bustard or ' Plain Turkey ' fre.]uents the Great Western Plains of New South 

 Wales, but prior to settlement it was not uncommon in the open spaces in the forests of the 

 Central Division. The bird is gregarious; I have seen twenty-two in a Hock. The Hesh is 

 very good, and is much sought after. They are easily stalked on horseback or in a vehicle, but 

 very difficult to approach on foot. The numbers in the Macquarie, Castlereagh and Namoi 

 Districts have been reduced to about one thirtieth by the droughts prevailing since 1895, by 

 settlement, and, I believe, by phosphorus. I have never seen any that were poisoned, but have 

 no doubt they would readily pick up the pellets supposing them to be grubs. They have strong 

 wings and are capable of powerful llight, but can only rise against the wind, and run some 

 distance before leaving the ground. The male bird has the power of expanding the skin on the 

 breast, causing it to droop like an apron." 



Mr. C. Ernest Cowle, writing from Illamurta, Central Australi;i, on the 19th IMarch, 1899, 

 remarks:—" The ' Plain Turkey ' (Eupodotis aitstvaUs) is not plentiful in the district, but the Arunta 

 and Looritcha tribes knock it down with a stick or stone, when it has its head buried under 

 Its wing; or it is stupefied by bruising a bunch of ' Pituri ' (Duboisa hopu'oodi) and placing it in 

 waterholes where it comes to drink." 



Writing from Broken Hill, South-western New South Wales, in July, 191 1, Dr. W. 

 Macgillivray remarks:— "For the last twelve years in Western New South \Va.\es Eupodotis 

 anstmlis, in former years so plentiful, has rarely put in an appearance even when the seasons 

 were m every way favourable. This year, however, after the splendid rains which fell in January 

 and February, they began to appear, and came down in increasing numbers until about April, 



