40 



The Bird-'l rappers of (he RivcrUia. 



geography of !my suburban gaKlcii, slated that the birds were 

 hi no danger of extinction. In fact, he thought there were 

 more now than there were lifteen or twenty years ago. So 

 much for the ethics of gahih-trapping. 



A Riverina Tiajjpcr with his Net and Tame Dccuy Galah. 



Having obtained permission to accc-mpany a party of 

 trappers, I packed up camera and plates in a rug, and 

 walked to my good friend's home. The waggon was standing 

 in the yard, and I exiamincd it with interest. The top-hamper 

 consisted of a huge cage— coarse wire-netting and frame of 

 liglit battens — divided into sections, and litted with dozens of 

 long bamboo perches. Beneath the cage was a locker, stored 

 with nets, tent, blankets, food-supplies, and so forth. Under 

 the seat in front was another locker, tilled with odds and 

 ends, cups, billies, rope, and other necessaries of a land- 

 voyage. In a compartment of the cage were two sleek 

 Galahs, the call-bitds, lacking which the trappers might as 

 well stay at home. More of these later. 



Well, we started out against the wind, with the sun 

 blazing from a cloudless sky. Dust, until the roads were left 



