^'°'i™] M\CG\LUy R\\. .histraliai! Pelican. 173- 



Galahs (C. roscicapilliis) rise from their feedinj^ ])laces on the 

 ground. Blue-bonnets ( Fsephotns liaeiiiatoi/astcr ) and Ring- 

 necks (Barnard Ins harnardi) are occasionally seen in small lots. 



We arrived by dark at the station, which is picturesquely situ- 

 ated on a peninsula with the lake in front and on two sides of it. 

 During the summer when the flood waters were at their height, 

 the house was com])letely isolated. 



On the following morning we set out for the L'elican's breed- 

 ing ground, which consisted of several islands at the southern 

 end of the lake, about eight miles by road from the house. On 

 our way round we noted many waterfowl along the margin and 

 on the lake. Cormorants of four species were numerous, and 

 nesting had finished, but many trees were seen that bore evidence 

 of having been utilised for that purpose. \\ hite-faced Herons 

 (Notophoyx nozrc-hollandicc), Royal Spoonbills (Platalea 

 jiavipes), and White Egrets {Egretta alba) were in fair num- 

 bers in the shallow w^ater. We disturbed a flock of about 100' 

 Crested Pigeons (Ocyphaps lopJiotes) from the ground to light 

 upon a dead tree, but they were too timid to allow of a close 

 enough approach for photographic purposes. 



We leave our motors and walk on to the first of the islands 

 occupied by a number of old and young Pelicans. This has 

 been made possible by the subsidence of the water, two of the 

 I)rincipal islands having dried off to the mainland. All the birds 

 old and young move off into the water as we near them. We, 

 however, note great numbers on adjacent islands and on the 

 water, but there are no small young left on the land. We make 

 a detour to arrive dry-shod on the second of the islands. Here 

 we find a number of young birds still in their nests, and other 

 older birds huddled together in masses or waddling off to the 

 water in droves. Numbers of young of from 3 to 4 months 

 of age are on the water. Mr. Ker, the overseer, informed us 

 that more than half of the birds had left. 



We noticed the same variation in colouring of the face and 

 i rides as at Cawndilla. One young one attracted our attention 

 particularly on account of the head and neck being wholly dark 

 brown in colour. Our time was limited, so that we had to 

 make our way back to the homestead for an early lunch, and 

 make a start back. On our return journey a belated Song-L,ark 

 iCinclorJiamphus crnralis) was disturbed from the roadside, all 

 its mates having left long since for northern parts. A pair of 

 Stubble-Quail (Coturnix pectoralis) were sunning themselves 

 on a bare patch, and crouched as the motor whizzed by. Three 

 half-grown Emus ran up for a close view of the motor, and we 

 pulled up and waited for them to come cjuite near enough to have 

 their portraits taken. A few hundred yards on a flock of ten 

 Emus evince a like curiosity, and a piece of bright tinfoil slowly 

 waved in the sunlight serves to bring them within range of our 

 cameras. 



