^"'u i6^^'] Campbell, Reminiscences of a Field Collector 25I 



collection is still intact. That is history. It is difficult to state 

 what is the intrinsic or scientific value of a natural history 

 collection. To accomphsh any great object in life, there must 

 he a i:)assion. You cannot materialize one's passion — be it music, 

 painting, or nature-study— any more than ycni can \-aluc one's 

 ai-tistic temperament in terms of £ s. d. 



One likes to study birds because they arc the most happy and 

 healthy of creatures. Whoever saw a sick bird, except in caged 

 confinement ? Birds in the open are always joyous. Listen to 

 their lively lays at break o' day— never ill. Besides the beauty 

 of birds, the colour and markings of some eggs are most attractive. 

 Their graceful shapes, whether globular, oval, or elhptical, are 

 all cmlilems of true infinity. In my book, " Nests and Eggs," 

 maybe I have said sufficient descriptive of the eggs and the 

 domestic economy of our Commonwealth birds. Perhaps I may 

 here recite a few incidents in travel that occurred while procuring 

 my specimens. 



I have been twice shot at. In the early days of Ferntree Gully 

 (Vic), we (four of us) were on the road, at night, to the Dandenongs, 

 walking every yard of the way. Near what is now known as 



Wheeler's Hill a drunken fellow wanted to know " Who the 



are you ? " We replied, " Look out, our guns are loaded." 

 " Oh, is it shooting you mean ? I'll meet you with a gun." So the 

 rascal said, rushing into a shanty near. In the meantime we 

 took to our heels and turned sharply aside into the bush. When 

 the drunkard reappeared, he, supposing we had continued our 

 way up the road, fired in that direction. We could distinctly 

 hear the "ping" of the bullet. Being about midnight, we 

 camped in the scrub where we were, and continued our journey 

 at day-dawn. By the way, I recollect that on this trip we saw 

 the lovely little Chestnut-shouldered Grass-Parrot. It used to 

 frequent the fertile flats of Ferntree Gully. We believe that this 

 beautiful bird is now extinct. On another occasion we were shot 

 at in broad dayhght by a land-owner, somewhere in the locality 

 of what is now known as Murrumbeena (Vic.) It is true the 

 landlord warned us off his grounds, but we had found a Bronze- 

 winged Pigeon's nest in a knot of mistletoe, with the bird sitting, 

 and we were loth to leave. Presently we espied the owner 

 sneaking down upon us along an acacia hedge. One of us 

 shouted, " Look out, he's got a gun," and away we sped. There 

 was a " bang," and buckshot scattered about us. We have not 

 been in that paddock since. Another shooting incident was 

 connected with a bullock. In an open paddock near Oakleigh 

 (Vic.) we were charged by a wild Gippsland bullock. The beast 

 would have certainly horned us had not one shot it in the face, 

 and temporarily stayed its progress. We were sorry, but there 

 was no other means of escape. 



On two occasions horses bolted with the coach I was on, each 

 time from the same cause — namely, a thoughtless tramp basking 

 in the sun alongside of the road — his head on his swag and his 



