^'°'',i^''l Royal Atisti'itlasiun Oynilhoiogisis' Union- 165 



a hundred ieet or more, aiul with their sj)ray water lour or live 

 acres of terns, chiefly handsome todeas. This desirable picnic 

 spot is also easily a])proached by a detour from the Ourimbah 

 Creek road instead of laboriously climbing over the hills. 



Still at the edge of the soak, and looking southward across the 

 saddles of forested hills, in fancy could be descried those hills 

 about the IMooni valley where the pastoral jjoet, Henry Kendall, 

 was reared and wrote the verses " From Mooni," one of which 

 reads : — 



" Yea, for him by Mooni's marge 

 Sings the yellow-haired September, 

 With the face the gods rememl:)cr 

 When the ridge is burnt to ember 



And the dumb sea chains the barge ! 

 When the mount like molten brass is. 

 Down beneath fern-feathered passes 

 Noonday dew in cool green grasses 

 Gleams on him by ^looni's marge." 



This verse is aj^plicable to Ourimbah also, even to the ridge being 

 " burnt to ember." From our quarters at night could be seen the 

 illuminations of forest fires high up on the ridge. 



The Mooni valley also inspired Kendall's verses. " Bell-Birds." 

 " The silver-voiced Bell-Birds, the darlings of day-time." 

 were likewise heard on the Ourimbah near the lower (No. i) camp. 



During the ten days' stay in the Ourimbah valley between 60 

 and 70 species of birds were recorded, of which may be mentioned : 

 — Sanguineous Honey-eater {Myzomela sanguineolenta), Friar-Bird 

 [Philemon coriiiciilaius), Caterpillar-eater {Edoliisoma tenuirosire). 

 Rufous Fantail {Rhipidura riififrons). Brown Fly-eater {Pseudo- 

 gerygone fiisca). Cat-Bird {.Eliirrrdiis viridis), Regent-Bird [Sericulus 

 meliniis). Spectacled Flycatcher [Piezorhynchns goiildi), Lyre-Bird 

 [Meniira superba), Wonga Pigeon [Leucosarcia picata). Little Green- 

 Pigeon (Chalcophaps chrysochlora), DoUar-Bird {Eurystomus 

 aiistralis), Emu-Wren [Stipitiirus malachurus). Variegated Wren 

 (Malurus lamberti), Rock-Warbler [Origma rubricata), Yellow- 

 throated Scrub-Wren {Sericornis citreogularis). 



It was expected that more Pigeons would be seen. Wongas 

 were reported plentiful up to 6 or 7 years ago, when they some- 

 times frequented the selections and fed with the poultry. Their 

 disappearance is, of course, attributed to the gun. Another fine 

 bird, the Topknot-Pigeon {LopholcBniiis antarcficus) has gone 

 down before the pot-hunter. What a pity the New South 

 Wales game authorities did not enforce their laws before it was 

 too late ! Now they have gone to opposite extremes, refusing an 

 application from the president of the R.A.O.U. to procure a few 

 bird-skins for a State museum ! 



Regarding the Topknot-Pigeon, at one time abundant on the 

 Ourimbah Ranges, Mr. G. H. Jaques, a pioneer selector, states : — 



" When I came to the Ourimbah, in 1882, and up to about 

 10 years ago, Topknot-Pigeons (or Flock-Pigeons, as we call them 



