272 " Down Mario Way."- I J 



Emu 

 April 



mentioned, but to complete the record we add a list of those 

 omitted from the narrative. They are : — Brush Bronzewing 

 Pigeon, Peaceful Dove, Kestrel, Laughing Jackass, Welcome 

 Swallow, Tree-Martin, Black-and-White Fantail, Black-faced 

 Cuckoo-Shrike, Spotted Ground-Bird, Brown Tit, Blue Wren, 

 Magpie-Lark, Harmonious Shrike-Thrush, White-backed Magpie, 

 Butcher-Bird, Silver-eye, Spotted Pardalote, Pipit, Fire-tailed 

 Finch, Pied Crow-Shrike, Yellow-rumped Tit, White-fronted 

 Chat, Brown Flycatcher, Black Cockatoo, White-naped Honey- 

 eater, Spinebill, Fan-tailed Cuckoo, Pelican, White-browed Scrub- 

 Wren, Yellow Robin, Bell Miner, Rosella, Rufous Thickhead, 

 White-throated Tree-creeper, Buff-rumped Tit, Leaden Flycatcher, 

 White-throated Thickhead, Fairy Martin, King Parrot, White- 

 shouldered Caterpillar-eater, and the introduced Sparrow, Starling, 

 and Goldfinch. On the return journey a Crow was seen between 

 Mario and Orbost, and Gang-Gang Cockatoos from the railway 

 at Nowa Nowa. 



The Birds of the Pilliga Scrub, New South Wales. 



By J. Burton Cleland, M.D. 



Dr. H. L Jensen once defined the Pilliga Scrub as comprising 

 " an oval area situated between the Namoi and Castlereagh Rivers, 

 or, to be more precise, between the towns of Pilliga, Narrabri 

 West, and Coonabarabran. The town of Baradine is a few miles 

 within the western limit of the Pilliga Scrub proper. The town 

 of Boggabri is about 14 miles east of it. The area of the Pilliga 

 Scrub proper is about 2,000,000 acres, and its most notable 

 characteristic is that no large stations are found within its borders, 

 whereas it is hemmed in on all sides by large stations and closely 

 occupied country." He then proceeded to describe its nature 

 as follows : — " The Pilliga Scrub consists of many kinds of 

 country, none of which constitute ' scrub ' in the sense in which 

 the term is used in the eastern portions of the State. Part is 

 dense brigalow and belah forest ; part is open ironbark, gum, and 

 stringybark forest ; part, again, is dense pine forest ; and other 

 parts consist of dense bushy undergrowth. Some parts are badly 

 overgrown with prickly pear, which is spreading rapidly in all 

 directions. Animal, insect, and bird life is very scarce ; only 

 two kangaroos were seen on the traverse, and not a solitary Emu. 

 Dingoes are, however, fairly abundant, as are also foxes. Rabbits 

 are very scarce, except in settled portions on the fringe of the 

 scrub, whence they are able to make daily raids on cultivation 

 paddocks or on the sweet grasses of the plains." 



Through the kindness of Mr. Gordon Burrow, district forester, 

 Narrabri, I recently had the opportunity of traversing this 

 interesting country in his company. Our route lay diagonally 

 across the area, from Narrabri to Baradine. We then proceeded 

 north some 20 miles to Wangan, and then across the area again, 



