174 .MACCIJJJX k.W^ Anstralian Pelican. Tisffan" 



We aj,^ain disturb the Red-tailed Hlack Cockatoo and numerous 

 (lalahs from their feedinj^ j^rounds, halt at Pisant Lake, with its 

 numerous J^ucks and Swans, and arrive at Henly for afternoon 

 tea. A thunderstorm had crossed our track back from Henly, 

 makinj^ it hea\y, but we make .Mcnindie for tea and arrive home 

 by midnight. 



Late in May, there were still many young of all stages of 

 development on the island in Cawndilla. .Ml the earlier hatches 

 of young being fully feathered on the 12th August, I paid a 

 visit to this breeding ])lace, and found that there was no longer 

 an island, the lake having fallen considerably, so that one could 

 walk dry-shod out to it. A few thousand birds, mostly fully 

 developed young with their parents, were still on the island, but 

 all could fly,. and did not admit of a close approach, flying off 

 or walking into the water and swimming out on to the lake. 



Up till May \ ery few young birds seemed to have died ; it 

 was remarked by all who had visited the i^lace before that time. 

 Now, howe\er, the island showed a remarkable mortality of fully 

 matured ycning l)irds, which had evidently occurred at about the 

 one lime, as all were at about the same stage of decomposition. 

 Although there were many dead lying about singly all o\er the 

 island, the greater number were heaped together in masses, giving 

 one the idea that the severe frosts ex])erienced early in July had 

 killed numbers as they huddled together for warmth. /\s an 

 alternative explanation, there is the possibility that the suj)j)ly 

 of food had given out, as the consumption of fish by anything 

 from fifty to one hundred thousand birds for a ])eriod of about 

 nine months would be a big drain on the resources of the lake. 



These lakes have been draining back into the Darling ever 

 since last December, and many fish are still ])assing into the 

 river. At the outlet into the river a remarkable scene ])resents 

 itself every day; numbers of Cormorants and Pelicans are con- 

 gregated waiting for the fish that come down. The Cormorants 

 dive and capture the fish, but have to come to the surface to turn 

 and swallow the fish head first, and the Pelican, who cannot dive, 

 awaits this moment, and makes a grab for the fish. It often 

 gets it, and sometimes includes the Cormorant's head or beak, 

 which is naturally resented, and leads to a struggle and stpiabble. 

 These incidents are going on all day long. The banks are here 

 also lined with Kgrets. I'.lue Herons, ^'ellow- and P.lack-billed 

 Spoonbills, whilst the trees shelter numbers of Xight Herons, 

 mostly in immature dress, waiting their turn when nightfall sends 

 the others to nxjst. 



The vast majority of the Pelican host have now scattered far 

 and wide to seek other feeding grounds inland in waterholes, 

 lakes and oi)en swamps or all round the sea coast, in estuaries or 

 sheltered bays or amongst the islands within the Barrier Reef, 

 there to live and wait other ojiportunities to reproduce their 

 kind. 



