Vol. XVIII, 

 1919 



] White, Ornithological Trips to Nullabor Plains. IQ^ 



Pigeons were also seen, and Whitefaces were plentiful. Round 

 the rock-holes a good many birds were observed, amongst them 

 Many-coloured Parrots, Shell Parrots, Central Australian Ring- 

 neck, Hooded Robin, Tricoloured Chat, Yellowrfronted Chat, 

 and the Chestnut-eared Finch, the last-named being in thousands. 



The following is a list of birds collected or observed during my 

 several trips into the Nullabor Plains and surrounding country. 

 I believe I have the honour to be the first to publish a list of the 

 birds or give any detailed account of the ornithology of this 

 region. The number of species or individuals varies very much, 

 according to the kind of season and the time of the year. The 

 country is mostly destitute of fresh water in midsummer, and 

 the birds have in most cases to move from the waterless region 

 to the vicinity of rock-holes, so that in many places where the 

 birds were fairly numerous in the cooler months of the year, by 

 January, when the rock-holes had dried up, the country would 

 be found almost destitute of bird-life. 



The nomenclature is after Gregory M. Mathews's " 1913 List." 

 To comply with the R.A.O.U. wishes, the official " Check-list " 

 names are in parenthesis where they differ from those given by 

 Mathews. 



Dromiceius n. novaehollandiae (Dromaius novce-hollandicB). Emu. — 

 Although the bird was not seen, it must still inhabit parts of the 

 country, for the natives depict their tracks in numerous paintings 

 on the rocks. 



Coturnix p. pectoralis. Stubble Quail. — These birds were met with 

 on the Nullabor Plains during the good season, but they were not 

 plentiful, and quite absent ever since. 



Ocyphaps lophotes. Crested-Pigeon. — These birds were numerous 

 round Tarcoola, and an odd bird or two was seen at Wymbring. I 

 am afraid the railway people destroyed these birds whenever they 

 came in contact with them. I did not see them in the vicinity of 

 the Nullabor. 



Lobibyx novaehollandiae (Lobivanelhis lobatus). Spur- winged 

 Plover. — A small party of these birds was seen near a clay-pan 

 between Port Augusta and Tarcoola. 



Elseya m. melanops (JEgialitis nigrifrons). Black-fronted Dottrel. — 

 A few birds seen at Lake Hart. 



Recurvirostra novaehollandiae (iJ. yM&nco///s). Red-necked Avocet. — 

 Three birds observed in a salt-water hole near Lake Hart. 



Austrotis australis (CJwriotis australis). Australian Bustard. — 

 During good seasons these birds are to be seen on the Nullabor Plains. 

 They were seen in the mulga country between Wymbring and 

 Ooldea, also round Tarcoola. 



Carphibis spinicollis. Straw-necked Ibis. — Several of these birds 

 seen during the good season out upon the Nullabor Plains ; they were 

 feeding upon large grasshoppers. 



Uroaetus audax. Wedge-tailed Eagle. — Several of these birds 

 came under observation, and two immature birds were kept captive 

 by the railway people at Wymbring. 



