234 Royal Australasian Ornii hoi agists' Union. [ist Jan 



Cockatoo, White-throated Tree-creeper, Silvery-crowned Friar- 

 Bird, Little Friar-Bird, Spotted Bower-Bird, Bee-eater, and Black- 

 throated Butcher-Bird. Finches (especially the Banded) came in 

 hundreds ; the latter were nesting in the roof of the verandah and 

 house. White-plumed and Blue-faced Honey-eaters, Masked Wood- 

 Swallows, and Pied Caterpillar-eaters were nesting. A nest of the 

 Red-browed Pardalote containing young almost ready to fly was 

 seen. Pale-headed and Red-winged Parrots were seen near the 

 water. Crows plentiful about the homesteads ; acted as scavengers. 

 They often jumped on the sheep that were lying down, much to 

 the annoyance of the sheep, which usually promptly stood up. 

 In time of drought the Black-tailed Native-Hen, looking for food 

 and water, suddenly appears in thousands at some water-hole. 

 A Marbled Podargus near the homestead was, as usual, difficult 

 to detect. The season being so dry, Ibises were apparently not 

 nesting, and we saw only small lots, mostly of the Straw-necked 

 species. A few Cuckoos were heard, especially the Pallid. 

 Occasionally we heard the raucous call of the Channelbill. Native 

 Companions were only in pairs or with their young. Emus also 

 were few. Bustards were more plentiful. Spur-winged and 

 Masked Plovers and Pratincoles were seen near the water, and 

 Southern Stone-Curlews were frequently heard calling, but were 

 not often seen. The Allied and Square-tailed Kites were nearly 

 always circling in the air ; the ordinary birds took no notice of 

 them, showing clearly that they are scavengers, for, should a 

 Falcon, Goshawk, or Sparrow-Hawk appear, there was at once 

 a scatter among the many birds near the water. \Miistling- 

 Eagles, common near water, were not much noticed. 



Although it was November, the nights — however hot the days 

 ■might be — were always cool, if not cold. In the winter months 

 a severe frost now and then kills much native vegetation. In 

 open patches of bare ground were found the burrows of the 

 ground spider {Sclenotypus). One of these killed a chicken and 

 tried to pull it down its hole, as mentioned in the April number 

 of The Emu. The photograph was taken by Miss B. Chisholm. 

 On a neighbouring station, Glendower, one of these spiders killed 

 a newly-hatched Guinea-Fowl chicken and pulled it some inches 

 down her burrow. Mr. Chisholm kindly drove me over to Glen- 

 dower. The Spotted Bower-Birds were plentiful near the 

 Flinders River, which was dry, but water could be obtained by 

 sinking a hole a few feet in the sandy bed. As we approached, 

 an Emu was crossing to the other side. Floods are very heavy 

 in this river at times, and we 'saw a 20,000-gallon tank that had 

 been taken from its place and partly twisted round a tree. It is 

 difficult to realize the immense force of the waters. In the river 

 cliffs fossil bones and shells are sometimes washed out, and I was 

 kindly given some that had apparently belonged to an ancient 

 form of life — namely, the long-necked fish-lizard {Cimoliosaunis), 

 which reached the length of about 23 feet, and a shell {Ancylocera,). 

 I left on the 13th for Charters Towers. 



