250 Letters, Announcements, S^c. 



we anchored I received a note from him, telling- me all was 

 prepared and that I must go to a place near his residence, 

 called New- ground, on which he had the day before seen some 

 birds. Finding that it was only two miles off, I determined to 

 walk, rather than ride, in the hope of picking up some other birds; 

 and just as I reached the top of the celebrated Ladder, by the 

 carriage road, Mr. Mellis himself appeared on horseback coming 

 to pilot me to the spot. Ten minutes walk brought us to as 

 desolate and barren a scene as any one could desire — a plateau 

 of arid biirnt-up scoria, rent by fearful ravines, in which a few 

 Cacti struggled for existence. Here and there an Asclepias looked 

 green and inviting to the miserable goats, and was frequented 

 by little bands of a red butterfly, Danais chrysipjms, and the 

 ubiquitous Cynthia cardui. Now and then a little flock of the 

 Australian Geopelia tranquilla rose and flew before us, or a Java 

 Sparrow or Cape Waxbill (all introductions) chattered on the 

 stunted vegetation. 



As we surmounted the crest of a ravine, on to the plain called 

 the New-ground, a bird, which I took to be JEgialites pecuaj'ius, 

 rose a little ahead of us, and, when too far for a shot, Mr. Mellis 

 exclaimed " that is a Wire-bird ! " I confess at the moment I 

 was disappointed. I had made up my mind to find it a Plover 

 of some kind, and at one time half fancied, from the de- 

 scriptions, it was a small Stilt-Plover ; but I hardly thought it 

 could be my old friend ^. pecuarius. However, as the bird flew 

 on, it struck me it was larger than that bird, and differently 

 marked, and my hopes rose again. Mr. Mellis meanwhile 

 detected another on the ground, which I stalked for some 

 time; but it kept continually running at a great pace about 

 eighty yards from me, and would not let me approach nearer. 

 At length I fired and it fell, but rose again, flew a little, 

 and finally disappeared, badly wounded, over the edge of a 

 ravine. 



The report of my gun raised several others, and after stalking 

 first one and then another, I concealed myself behind a cactus, 

 and Mr. Mellis put one up at a distance and drove it towards 

 me. It came within easy range, and a half charge of No. 10 shot 

 made the prize my own ; and it was with much delight that I 



