Voi.^xviii.j Cleland, Birds of the Pilliga Scrub, N.S.W. 273 



by a slightly more northern route, striking our outward track 

 about 25 miles from its starting-point. Total, i8g miles. Our 

 journey, which was made in a buggy, was divided into fifteen 

 stages, which were made use of later in compiling the bird 

 survey. 



The nature of the country, as summarized by Dr. Jensen, may 

 be detailed more fully as met with by us. The outskirts — 

 Baradine to Wangan and the neighbourhood of Narrabri — are 

 more or less cleared for pasture and occasional crops. The inter- 

 vening country between Narrabri and Baradine, about 60 miles 

 as the Crow flies, and necessarily longer by our route, possesses 

 little' permanent water, though traversed at intervals of miles 

 by several water-courses running from the Warrumbungle 

 Mountains towards the Namoi. In the beds of these occur some 

 relatively permanent water-holes, which still for a while yield a 

 supply of water by digging after the surface has evaporated. 

 Occasional wells have been sunk, and in the northern part of our 

 journey, near Old Cubbo Station, we came upon a sub-artesian 

 bore. This scarcity of sheets of water led necessarily to very 

 few water or marsh birds being seen. Along the beds of the 

 water-courses large trees {Eucalyptus tereticornis, and sometimes 

 Eucalyptus rostrata) and shrubs such as Leptospermmn and Acacia 

 occur. In the country between the creeks considerable diversity 

 is met with in the flora. Thus, in parts are dense forests of white 

 cypress pine {Callitris robusta [glauca]), sometimes alone, some- 

 times with ironbarks {Eucalyptus crebra, and near Baradine 

 Eucalyptus melanophloia). Then there are areas of more open 

 forests with ironbarks {Eucalyptus crebra, E. sideroxylon, E. 

 siderophloia), E. dealbata, bull-oaks {Casuarina luehmanni), some 

 white pines, and undcr-shrubs. The better class of country, 

 met with more on the outskirts, grows forest trees and budda 

 {Eremophila mitchelli). The gilgai country, with its irregular ruts 

 and hollows, is covered with brigalow {Acacia harpophylla), or with 

 belah {Casuarina lepidophloia). What are known as " broom- 

 flats " have an abundant broom-like growth of Melaleuca uncinata, 

 often intermixed with other undcr-shrubs, of which Calythrix 

 tetragona may be by far the most abundant, or may replace the 

 Melaleuca entirely. These belts, often only a few hundred yards 

 across, form open country compared with the obstructed view in 

 the forests. The blood-wood rises are barren areas only slightly 

 raised, with groups of Eucalyptus trachyphloia and under-shrubs. 



Naturally, the birds were met with in most numbers near water. 

 Very few were seen in the broom flats or the forest when not near 

 water. 



There seems little doubt that the scarcity of animal life 

 mentioned by Dr. Jensen exists. No snakes were seen, and Mr. 

 Burrow tells me the only one of these reptiles he has seen in his 

 frequent journeys through the Pilliga Forest was a carpet snake. 

 Monitors {Varanus, sp.) were met with, and an occasional small 

 skink. One fox was seen (near Baradine, on the outskirts of the 



