Vol- ^J^] Royal Australasian Ornithologists' Union. 205 



lliat it ^pnilt tlicm lor the other States. When tlie\- knew ol their 

 destination tliey made various inquiries as to where i\\v P^unya 

 Mountains were. They could not ftnd them on the map. They 

 liad since, however, heard much, and they expected mucli. He 

 was sorry to hear of the dryness in the country. At Bairnsdah', 

 on the Mitchell River, where he came from, they had just had 

 record floods. Referring to the birds of the Bunyas, Dr. l.each 

 said that only a few would be taken as specimens. On this point 

 they had recently been criticised by some people, who said they 

 took more birds than they protected, but this was not so. The 

 Union existed firstly to protect and preserve bird-life, and secondly 

 to study the birds. They would not take more birds than were 

 necessary. There were scrub birds which were extremely rare 

 that they lioped to find in the Bunyas. They hoped to give other 

 ornithologists knowledge of the Bunya Mountains, and to let them 

 hear of the reception extended." 



It had been arranged that a lecture would be given by Captain 

 White, but he was unal)le to get away by the early train, and his 

 place was taken by Mr. Chisholm. The lecture, which was fully 

 illustrated with lantern slides, dealt chiefly with the birds of 

 Queensland, and particularly those which it was expected to 

 meet in the Bunya Range. Emphasis was laid on the necessity 

 which existed for protecting the rare and beautiful forms in the 

 highlands. Incidentally, Mr. Chisholm came into good-humoured 

 conflict with a farmer in the audience regarding the utility or 

 otherwise of the Crow, and, as neither was inclined to give way, 

 the " debate " had to be adjourned. A vote of thanks was 

 accorded the lecturer, on th(> initiative of the Rev. R. Millar, after 

 which the party went to tlie railway station to meet the main 

 body of the visitors. 



Climbing the Range. 



On the following morning the whole of the prospective campers 

 left on a drive of 30 miles to the Bunya Range. The railway 

 covering only portion of the route, the trip was made in motor- 

 cars, which were supplied by Rev. B. P. Walker, Messrs. P. Garrow, 

 J. D. i\Iorris, T. Jack, C. G. Turbaync, and H. W. Button. Hired 

 cars were also used, and the luggage was conveyed in two large 

 cars belonging to the Dalby Ambulance Brigade. It was an 

 interesting trip. The countryside, stricken with drought, lay 

 gasping under the warming sun of October, and bare of any 

 vegetation but tlu' pestiferous imported prickly pear [Opiintia 

 inermis) ; Init, lor all that, a fair numl:)er of birds clung to the 

 plains and forest approaches to the range. The sum totals 

 shown undi-r ])r. Cleland's interesting censifs scheme were, indeed, 

 surprising, both in regard to variety and numbers observed. 



Of particular interest was the presence of Arlanius wclanops, 

 the Black-faced Wood-Swallow. Specimens of tliis quiet, 

 babyish-looking bird were hunched up on almost every fence-post 

 by the roadside. What the birds find to eat under such con- 

 ditions is not at all obvious, but certainly the species appears 



