204 WILSON, Impressions of Australian Birds. [\^s!S^^ 



I merely state a problem, and profess no discovery, admitting 

 such glaring contradictions as the song of the soaring Skylark, 

 that is never feeding when he sings; but, when I find the only 

 Kingfisher who seldom fishes famous for — shall we call it 

 melody? — while the rest are silent, I begin to want to know why. 



Australian birds are peculiarly undomesticated, and offer per- 

 fect opportunities for research. Having realised the opportuni- 

 ties of original research, I soon became struck by a new thing, 

 and that was a series of apparent contradictions. The greatest 

 of these was the curious mingling of birds typically tropical, 

 or, shall I say, usually associated with the tropics and those 

 supposedly Antarctic. It is possible within an hour to see both 

 Penguins and I'arrots, and that no distance from Melbourne: 

 but, as food regulates the distribution of birds rather than tem- 

 perature, the apparent jihenomenon is explicable. In Europe, 

 or even America, no such meeting of extremes could be found. 



Again, in Victoria can be seen almost at the same time the 

 jungle-loving Drongo, and the Chough, represented by its white- 

 winged relative (Corcorax nielaiiorJianiphus), which anyone not 

 bred in Australia connects with Alpine scenery in Switzerland or 

 the clififs of E.ngland's Atlantic sea-board. Almost equal sur- 

 prise was in store for me in noticing how slowly native birds 

 accommodate themselves to new conditions of civilisation. Ten 

 years ago I knew some timber land in Victoria which had been 

 ring-barked and was used as grazing country : this area was al- 

 most as full of wood-loving birds as the virgin bush itself. Xow 

 the land is grubbed and under wheat, but several large clumps 

 of trees remain ; yet the birds have left the place, while Sparrows 

 and Starlings have come in ; only the Magpies and Robins stay 

 there as representatives of an older order. I think in years to 

 come the birds will return, as has happened in Melbourne, but 

 for the moment they are driven back into remoter districts. 



The most bird-loved town I ever saw is Cairns. A small place, 

 but still large enough to maintain two big picture houses, it is 

 so full of bird life that a morning's walk there allowed me to 

 identify 14 species in the streets. The common Mudlark (.l/a;/- 

 pie Lark) was in every street — ubiquitous; while Peaceful 

 Ground Doves sat on the telephone wires. A few Drongos were 

 there and Glossy Starlings, and a Sacred Kingfisher posed upon 

 the post office roof. The street on the sea front gives a view of 

 Reef Herons, Spoonbills and Egrets, Terns, Gulls and Stints. A 

 Kite, Cuckoo-.Slirike and Frigate-l'ird completed mv morning's 

 list. 



Is not tlie greatest charm of birds largely due to the fact that 

 they are not nocturnal in the great majority of cases, while 

 mammals so greatly are! Birds move where we can see them, 

 and, when we can, let us bless them for it, and remember that 

 even those which go about their business by night make the dark 

 hours busy with their callings. I love the screams of the Stone 

 Plover under the moon, or the gaggle of Ducks, and there is a 



