164 MACGILLI\'RAY, Australian Pelican. [\^st faT 



Four species of Cormorant — Fhalacrocorax carbo, P. ater., 

 P. variiis, and Microcarbo nielanolcKCiis — have also nested 

 freely on Menindie, Cawndilla, and Teryawynia Lakes right 

 through the spring, summer and autumn months. 



I have heen able to make frequent excursions on to the Men- 

 indie and Cawndilla Lake areas, owing to the courtesy shown and 

 assistance rendered me by Mr. Allison, the manager of the Kin- 

 chega holding, on which the lakes are situated. The manage- 

 ment is centred at Kars v^tation. about 40 miles out from Broken 

 Hill on the way to Menindie. 



An account of a visit to these lakes in January last, supple- 

 mented by observations made on previous visits in the spring 

 and summer and on several (occasions since will serve to give 

 an idea of the bird life to be met with. 



On the 28th January last, accompanied by Dr. Finlayson and 

 my son, Ian, I started out for Kars station at 5.30 a.m. At about 

 twenty miles out the road descends from the Barrier Range, and 

 runs through open saltbush plains to cross Stephens Creek, a 

 few miles below where Sturt first camped on it on his memor- 

 able expedition into the interior in 1844. 



Xear the turn-off to the station we flushed three fine Bus- 

 tards from a tract of country where a little green herbage has 

 resulted from an errant summer thunderstorm. 



These birds are only odd ones, this species not having appeared 

 here in numbers since 1911, when the interior and Western 

 Queensland were devastated by a drought and better conditions 

 obtained hereabouts. 



Arriving at Kars in time for breakfast, we found the mana- 

 ger, overseer and a boy as cook ready to accompany us to the 

 lakes. 



Another thirty miles, at first through scrub consisting princi- 

 pally of Mulga (Acacia aneiira) and Xeelia (.Icacia loderi), 

 amongst which are interspersed "Dead finish" (Acacia tctrac/ono- 

 phylla), Bullock Bush (Hctcrodcndrou oleofolinm), Sandalwood 

 (Myoporuin platycarpiini). Leopard Trees (Flindcrsia niacu- 

 lata), a few Quandongs (Fusanpis acuniinatus), and Black Oaks 

 (Casitarina lepidopliloia) out on to spear-grass country, through 

 a few dry cane-grass swamps, and over the sand rises on to the 

 box flats bordering the lake area and from which the flood waters 

 have recently receded to the level of the creek banks, we jnilled 

 up near where the creek comes out from Menindie Lake. 



Here we leave our car; the station Ford trolly loads all our 

 gear, and in charge of Mr. O'Halloran. the overseer, and the 

 cook goes on to make a camp near tf) where the creek connects 

 with Cawndilla Lake. 



The rest of us take to the station boat, which is kept at a 

 boundary rider's hut on the creek, and row up towards Cawn- 

 dilla. Keeping to the stream for half a mile, we enter Morton- 

 i)oolka Swamp to cut off a large bend of the creek and to inves- 

 tigate the bird life of the swamp. .\ few Ducks are on the water. 



