64 A Bird Collector' i Wanderings. 



SIXTY NEW BIRDS. 



" .\ low days ago Mr. j. P. Rogcr.^, wlio has been colleclMig Ijirds 

 " lor iiK' in tlii.s far-away part of Auslralia. since 1908, and nianmials for 

 " the British Museum, came over at my request to consul: with me, and 

 ■■ as he lias a very remarkable record it occurred to me that the readers 

 '■ of the Mail, which gives prominence to such matters (' UutcLor 

 " Australia ' is a very charming feature ol the popular journal), nnirht 

 " like to hear sometliing about him and his work, lie talks very little. 

 " Long journeys by himself in the silence of the Inisli have had tlieir 

 " effect upon liim, Me linds charm in solitude. For days, for wrecks, 

 " sometimes lor months, he has wandered through the bush in quest of 

 "rare species of birds, with wo companion save a dog. lie has added 

 " sixty new birds to the catalogue of Australian varieties, and a great 

 " many of them have been called after hmi. He is also the discoverer 

 " of several new species of mannnals. Thus Mr. Rogers has a unique 

 " record." 



AMONG WILD BLACKS. 



" A little while ago Mr. Rogers made a journey right across Western 

 " Australia to Tanami, a distance of some 500 miles, and got amongst 

 '■ absolutely wild blacks, and very nearly perished from thirst. However, 

 " that is a story by itself. If he can ever be induced to set down his 

 " experiences on that adventurous journey I have no doubt that they will 

 " prove of absorbing interest. What 1 know of some of them compels me 

 " to say that there is a lot of silly sentiment uttered by people who have 

 " had no actual experience themselves about good behaviour of uncivilised 

 " blacks. They are savages in every sense of the word, or, at least, 

 " that has Ijeen the exijenence of Mr. Rogers. The p.u-t ol his work 

 " that concerns me is that which lias relation to birds." 



WORLD-RECORD FLIGHTS. 



" The most notaulc of the birds that he has discovered for us is 

 " on.e of the wader lamih that breed in Siberia and winter in Ausli'aiia. 

 " Mr. Rogers is the only man who has ever shot one of the particular 

 " species I allude to here. It is the broad-billed sandpiper. It had been 

 ■' got in Java before, but iiever in this continent. The wader family arrive 

 " in the nor'-west in countless numbers in October or November They 

 " start on their 8000 miles Hight back again wiicn thev get their full 

 " plumage. That is in April. There are probably about twenty species of 

 " them, and all mingle together on the breedmg grounds ; but when about 

 " to migrate the ixspective species collect iiUo groups, and each flies off 

 " separately. There is a 40ft. rise and fall at the spring tide, and that 

 " provides a fine feeding ground. They live principally on shellfish, and 

 " are in good condition when ready to leave. Sometimes a few stay 

 " behind. That is because they have not got themselves into sufiiciently 

 " good condition to undertake this world-record journey." 



