218 WHITE, Most Extensive Ormthological Tour Fi^rfan" 



The Most Extensive Ornithological Tour 

 ever Accomplished in Australia 



By S. A. WHITE. C.M.P..O.U., C.F.A.O.U., Sometime 

 President R.A.O.U. 



An expedition to cross Australia and back by motor cars was 

 promoted by the McCallum Brothers, of v^outh Australia, and the 

 writer of this paper was aiTorded the opportunity of joining the 

 party. The members of the expedition, six in number, were the 

 Hon. Thos. McCallum, M.L.C.. Messrs. Donald McCallum. H. 

 Crowder (of the S.A. Lands Department), cousin to the first- 

 named gentleman, Murray Aunger and Cecil Aunger, expert 

 motorists and mechanics, and the writer. ]\Ir. ]\Iurray Aunger 

 had been over some of the country 14 years previously, when he, 

 with Mr. H. H. Dutton, of South Australia, had made the attempt 

 to reach Darwin in a car, which was overtaken by tropical rains. 

 The party had to aliandon the car and retreat over swollen water- 

 courses on horseback. Returning the following year with another 

 car, they took both through to Darwin. 



On this expedition three "Dort" cars were used. Every inch 

 of space and every ounce of weight was conserved. Hoods, wind- 

 screens, mud-guards, lamps, doors, self-starters, in fact, every- 

 thing that could be dispensed with without interfering with the 

 efficiency of the cars was strijiped off. As would be supposecj, 

 many spare parts and gear of many contrivances to meet con- 

 tingencies over a rough and trackless countiy had to be carried 

 with us. Twelve hundred (1200) feet of inch and f-inch 

 Manilla rope was wound round two drums in No. 1 car, and many 

 other things took up much s])ace, cutting down our personal 

 effects to a minimum, and this sorely handicaps a naturalist. The 

 bodies of the cars had a neat chemical-duck covering. 



We wore rubber coats, which were suiii)lie(l by the liarnet 

 Glass Rubber Co., and were a great comfort in cold and wet 

 weather; still they did not prevent great discomfort when sitting 

 all day long in water, as sometimes happened. Cold winds were 

 dealt with by placing paper round the body inside our vests, and 

 the rubber coats outside of all. A great deal of organisation 

 was required; stores and petrol had to be sent on from Oodna- 

 datta — the head of the line in the south — by camel convoys to 

 be placed in depots along our route for the better part of a 

 thousand miles. From the northern end the same had to be 

 done, and petrol and stores came out for 200 miles from Darwin 

 by rail, then by bullock and horse teams, to link up with the 

 chain of depots from the south ; this had to be done three or 

 four months ahead; even then the line had not been linked up, 

 and the last camel team was over a hundred miles short of its 

 depot when we overtook it. Stores and petrol had to be sent 



