56 Mr. A. U.Ev&ns. with the [Ibis, 



while the intermediate ground is at present covered by 

 old scrub, where it has not been found necessary to clear it, 

 and is more or less a wild table-land cut up by ridges and 

 sheltered depressions. A few animals have already been 

 brought over from the ohl Gardens and relegated to 

 temporary apartments; but the native birds are the chief 

 charm of the place and accord well with the Native plants 

 which Mr. Le Souef, with admirable judgment, alone admits, 

 to his sanctuary. 



We crossed the Harbour by a ferry, and took a slanting 

 path up the bank, meeting at once with old friends and 

 new. Close to the water, on a sapling gum, a pretty 

 Honey-eater was disporting itself, which we had no diHi- 

 culty in identifying as the White-eared species {Pti/otis 

 leucotis) ; and we had liardly finished watching it, while 

 listening to its clear notes, when our conductor jjointed 

 out a neat little round hole in the bank of a dry water- 

 course and told us that it belonged to a Diamond-Bird 

 {Pardalotus jjunctaius). The earth was so friable that we 

 vere able to remove and re[)lace it without damaging the 

 small round nest of Eucalyptus bark, which contained three 

 transparent white eggs, resembling those of the Kingfisher 

 in miniature. Cuckoos of more than one kind were calling 

 in the scrub, since migiatiun-time had fully arrived, and 

 among>t them we made out the Pallid Cuckoo (C'ncuh& 

 inornatus), uttering its ringing notes. But we had a much 

 better sight of the Fan-tailed Cuckoo (^Cacomantis riijulus), 

 for, as we Mere listening to its mournful tiill, the bird 

 suddenly dashed across our path and, turning at right 

 angles, settled in full view on a sapling, with its back 

 towards us and its tail expanded. We were soon at the 

 top of the main slope, where the menagerie is being 

 gradually hou.>ed; but we passed quickly over the partly 

 reclaimed ground into the woodland beyond. Here a 

 plaintive note attracted our attention, which our guide 

 believed and hoped to be that of the rare Black-eared 

 Cuckoo (Mesoca/rns jjal/io/aitis). He proved to be quite 

 correct; but we had considerable trouble in approachinjj 



