Vol. XIX. 



Br^'ant, Holiday Tn'f^ to Far I'l^pcy Murray. 67 



quantity of birds, which seemed to be getting tamer, excepting 

 Plover. Ihis valley of the Nariel River leads up to a site selected 

 for the future township, where the Gibbo Ranges start ; and a 

 track, so I was informed, leads across the ranges to Omeo which 

 is quite passable for a cart except for 15 miles of the latter ]")art, 

 and except when the river was swollen l)y rain. An old mine 

 called the Dark River Mine is being worked in these ranges, and 

 many years ago very rich ore was obtained, which was sent in 

 those daj^s to Newcastle for treatment. The Nariel River enters 

 the Murray, and in the latter part of its journey it is called the 

 Jcrimal. Went a good distance up stream, but did not get a 

 rise ; saw one Black Cormorant, besides numerous Black Cockatoos 

 and other birds already named. 



5th April. — Was awakened by a flock of Pied Bell-Magpies 

 feeding on the road just beyond the verandah. Looked out of my 

 bedroom window and saw one bird carrying an empty cartridge- 

 case in his bill, dropping it and pecking at it, when suddenly 

 from tlie opposite side of the road two Black-backed Magpies 

 darted out at them. There was an alarm given at once ; the 

 Bell-Magpies flopped up into a big tree at the side of the house. 

 The Magpies went back to their tree, where there was an old nest, 

 just opposite the house, and sent up a carol of triumph. It was 

 a glorious fresh morning, but no sooner were the Magpies' backs 

 turned than down came the others into the road again and pecked 

 about. Then an immature Lory plumped down amongst them, 

 apparently out of curiosity to see what the rest were eating. 

 Immediately a mischievous Bell-Magpie sneaked round behind 

 the Lory and tried to pull its tail, which the Lory resented by 

 erecting its scalp feathers and spreading out its tail. Then 

 suddenly the Magpies made another vicious assault, which 

 necessitated a quick return to the fir-tree of the party, accom- 

 panied by the Parrot, and a chorus of protesting " Jays " was 

 echoed in the distance by the long-drawn-out " Caws " of the 

 Ravens {Corvus australis)., which are also numerous in the 

 district. In a very lew seconds the Bell-Magpies were back on the 

 road, and all round the front verandah, where they played, being 

 very interested in picking over the sparsely-grassed ground. 

 When I came on the verandah and copied their whistle they 

 showed no sign of fear, but played about for some time. After 

 breakfast I went across the road to see some birds hopping in 

 the green trees and flying into the wattles below. I stood quietly 

 under the wattles, and down came several Satin Bower-Birds to 

 investigate me from the lower branches. These birds were also 

 very tame, and stayed for a considerable time without being 

 disturbed. Later on in the day a heavy rain set in, and, having 

 received a telegram to return as soon as possible, I came back to 

 Corryong, then to Tallangatta, Wodonga, and Melbourne. 



I can recommend this trip to anyone who wants complett; rest 

 from mental work in a refreshing climate, among beautiful 

 surroundings. Another advantage : where I stayed is 20 miles 



