270 WHI'H.OCK, Trip to fortcscuc River fTst^Apd" 



Crowinj,' scruh and HockI debris als(. added to my dithculties. 

 The flies, too, were savage. I was told I should find the spring 

 surrounded by a growth of Cajuputs, and naturally looked for 

 trees of this s])ecies. This led me to overshoot the mark, and 

 after tramping six miles or so, f turned l»ack to where T had 

 seen a number of Ground Do\es, Red-plumed or S])inifex 

 Pigeons (Lopliophaps fcrru(/inea) and Painted Finches. These 

 birds led me to the spring, the cajuput trees being nothing more 

 than bushes with .1 white pai)ery bark, and cpiite ;i dififerent 

 foliage from tlial of the river-side species. 



The appearance of the spring itself was discouraging. A 

 feeble stream of water was slowly oozing from the bank of the 

 creek into a black-looking depression choked up with decaying 

 vegetation ; the whole surrounded by a growth of rushes. There 

 was only one thing to do, and that was to clean it out, as I 

 intended to establish a flying camp there, .\fter an hour's work 

 rejteatedly baling out the ])olluted water, things looked better. 

 I retired to the other side of the creek, and sat down to wait. 

 Many Do\es and Finches came to drink. Pre.sently, in a 

 eucalypt overhead, 1 heard the well-remembered, raucous notes. 

 I looked up, and there was a veritable Piower P>ird. This was 

 presently joined by three or four more. They hopped lower 

 and lower until one was \^-ithin a few feet of my head. T could 

 see the beautiful i)ink nai)e and his glossy, velvety plumage to 

 perfection. T sat (|uite still and watched one after the other 

 drink and bathe at the si)ring. They were much interested in 

 my appearance. I'robably T was the first white man they had 

 seen, as these ranges are seldom visited by prospectors or 

 kangaroo hunters. After a time this i)arty of P)0\\er-Birds 

 cleared out. They seemed to go to the north. I still waited, 

 and presently other birds came. Their behaviour was much the 

 same, and after drinking they flew away quietly, but not before 

 T had noted that they (lisa])])cared in an ()j)positc direction to 

 the first party. 



T followed as well as T could, (^nc bird almost dcccixcd me 

 with a nearly ])erfect imitation of the ringing notes of the 

 ( K)l(len-backed Honey-eater. The ground being so diflicult, I 

 e\entually lost sight of them, and returned to the spring. Xo 

 more birds came during a further wait. 



] returned to the spring a day or two later to arrange for a 

 flying camp, and saw the Hower-i^irds again. ( )n .>Oth Sep- 

 tember T carried rugs and camping utensils with a supply of 

 food to a pitch I had chosen. The birds came as usual, but 

 only once during the whole day. Indeed, few birds came to 

 <lrink after four p.m. Next morning I was on watch early, but 

 no l*ower-P>irds came until about '>.30. Observations <|uite 

 satisfied me that there were two and possibly three distinct 

 parties visiting the spring. Tt \\a< easier, owing to the gorge 



