Vol. XVIII. 



1919 



J White, Ornithological Trips to Nullahov Plains. igi 



White-browed Babblers were met with in parties. The Little 

 Brown Flycatcher, Red-capped Robins, Western Brown Hawk, 

 Hooded Robins, Tree-Tits, Yellow-plumed Honey-eater, and 

 Redthroat were all seen. The vegetation covering the sand-hills 

 is confined to low scrub, with here and there a black oak or a 

 bunch of mallee. The scrub is made up of many species of shrubs, 

 apart from the oaks {Casiiarina), which are very sparingly 

 scattered over the country. The next in size are the Grevilleas ; 

 there are two large species, both bearing beautiful honey-laden 

 blossoms, but the seed-pods or fruit differ considerably. Grevillea 

 stenohotrya has a small, delicate seed-pod of a flattened nature, 

 while G. pterosporma has a large, woody, and much-rounded pod, 

 of a much darker coloration. The flowers of these plants 

 produce a wealth of food for the honey-feeding birds. Acacias, 

 of course, are well represented, and many of their seeds form food 

 for Pigeons and other birds. Acacia randelleana being a new record 

 for South Australia, it having been hitherto known only in 

 Western Australia. Acacia salecBsa was very attractive, owing 

 to the bushes being covered in very large seed-pods of a very 

 bright green coloration. Our well-known botanist, Mr. J. M. 

 Black, to whom I am greatly indebted for working out all my 

 botanical collections for years past, asked me to keep a sharp look- 

 out for a very large fruiting mulga, and I was pleased to find one 

 of these shrubs bearing large cylindrical seed-pods, which has 

 been identified as Acacia linophylla. I met with this species in 

 the Everard Ranges, but could not, owing to the long drought, 

 find a plant in fruit. Returning to camp, every stitch on us was 

 saturated with perspiration. In a hessian-covered hut where we 

 had our meals the thermometer stood at 117° Fahr., and it can be 

 easily understood the state of the birds which had to be made 

 into skins that night. A little rain (thunder drops) fell during 

 the night, and the next day the flies were unbearable. Each day 

 came and went with heat and flies, but we worked steadily on, 

 each making a collection of our special branches of natural science. 

 Mr. Lea is a keen collector, and puts much enthusiasm into his 

 work. He would come back to camp after a tramp over the 

 sand-hills with perspiration trickling down his face, yet he would 

 be beaming with delight as he held up some specimen, saying, 

 " A beauty ! A beauty ! " At night Mr. Lea was busy with his 

 gas lamp, and when my curing of specimens was finished we 

 would sit round the lamp watching for insects attracted by the 

 light. One evening a reddish-brown beetle came flying round 

 with a booming sound, and pitched on the ground in front of us. 

 The entomologist was on to it like lightning, ex:claiming •" At 

 last I have it ! " It turned out to be Pararhopsea gigas, Lea, a 

 rare beetle, having been collected by R. T. Maurice during one 

 of his exploring trips in that locality, and had never been described 

 till now by my friend. I had found parts of this insect in the 

 sand, but had despaired of taking it aUve. 



Having finished our work in the district, one morning at day- 



