Vol. xix.-j Bryant, Holiday Trip to Far Upper Murray. 63 



23rd March. — In the rnqming, after a good night's sleep and 

 some deUcious Murray cod for breakfast, I again left by motor 

 for Nariel. We went back about 4I miles on the road we came 

 overnight, crossed a rushing stream, turned to the left up a valley, 

 and followed the course of the stream for 20 miles to the com- 

 mencement of the bigger hills. On each side of the stream were 

 rich Hats, where dairying principaUy was carried on. I noted a 

 good many maize crops, which appeared to be flourishing, and 

 noted many fields planted with cereals just showing grain above 

 the ground, and was informed that it had been the driest season 

 for years in this district. Nariel is the name of this district, and 

 I stayed at the last house but one near the foot of the hills. Just 

 at this point the valley broadens out into a semicircle, with hills 

 rising from it and forming a natural amphitheatre. The black- 

 butts (eucalypts) were in blossom, and gave off a suggestive, 

 sweet, honey-like odour which faintly pervaded the atjnosphere 

 and brought back recollections of my boyhood wanderings in 

 the bush. 



The farm-house where I stayed was about 100 yards from the 

 bank of the Nariel River, and after lunch I was shown a high, 

 dead tree overlooking the river on which sat eighteen Cormorants, 

 mostly the large black variety {Phalacrocorax carbo), with a few 

 Pied birds (P. hypoleucus). " I proceeded to make them lave 

 that," which they did, leaving two of their flock behind, dead, 

 and several others badly damaged. Late in the afternoon I put 

 on my waders and had a try with the artificial fly, and after 

 several misses I caught a rainbow trout about i lb. weight, a fly 

 called " The Butcher " being the successful one. There was a 

 great deal of bird-Hfe about besides the Cormorants. Flocks of 

 Gang-Gangs {Callocephalon galeatinn), Black Cockatoos (Calypto- 

 rhynchus funereiis), and King Parrots {Aprosmidus cyanopygiiis)— 

 the latter, I was told, made their appearance in the valley when 

 rain was impending ; many Lories {Platycerciis elegans), full- 

 plumaged and immature, were seen, also a few Satin Bower-Birds 

 {Ptilonorhynchns violaceus) and Rosella Parrots {Platycercus 

 cximius). Pied Bell-Magpies {Strepera graculina) were very 

 plentiful, and took a good toll of the maize crops, and were ably 

 assisted in this by the Lories and Cockatoos. These black-and-white 

 "Jays" were very tame, and appear to have a very great deal 

 of joy in their hves, if their chatter and antics are any guide. 

 I never saw so many famiUes of Blue Wrens {Maliiriis cyanciis) 

 in any place, and already the male birds were losing their summer 

 plumage, and all that remained was the blue tail. The Yellow- 

 rumped Tits [Acanthiza chrysorrhoa) were in large families, also 

 the Red-browed Finch {.Egintha temporalis). White-browed Tree- 

 creepers (Climaderis siiperciliosa) were also very plentiful, and 

 thousands of Starlings (introduced) roosted at night in the 

 blackberry bushes which were growing in many places along the 

 banks of the river. White-eyes {Zosterops dorsalis) were also 

 seen in the blackberry bushes. 



