^"'; ^/^'l Bakrktt, Wilson's Promontory and its Wild Life. 2QI 



Hill, is swamp laud, (lotted with gums, rising from a generous 

 growth of waterdoving plants. This is the home of the Park's 

 koalas {Phascolarctits cinercns). Nearly every tree has its tenants. 

 Some years ago the koalas, which liad become so numerous that 

 they had to be " thinned out," migrated from their headquarters 

 at ()beron Bay to their present retreat, because the food supply 

 had failed. Tiiey had, by continuous feeding, killed the swamp 

 gums at the P)ay, and liad to move on or starve. By common 

 consent they sought fresh lields, and, despite the ravages of 

 disease last winter, are a flourishing connnunity. Kangaroos 

 (two species) and wallabies (five species) are also increasing, the 

 latter lieing particularly abundant. 



Two visits to Wilson's Promontory (the last in Octolier, 1919) 

 have enabled me to glean some notes regarding its bird-life. My 

 own list includes about 60 species, but I missed many that have 

 been seen by other observers. Yet the Park is not as rich in birds 

 as one could wish it to be. Some species— the Crimson Parrot 

 [Platycerciis pennanti), for example — are abundant ; others are 

 rare. Several species have been introduced — namely, the Emu 

 {Droinaiiis novce-hollandics), the Lyre-Bird {Meniira victories), the 

 .Alallec-Fowl [Leipoa ocellata), and the Satin Bower-Bird {Ptilono- 

 rhy)ichiis holosericeus). All appear to be thriving. I was 

 delighted to find the Emu-Wren {Stipiturus malachitrus) almost 

 as abundant as the Blue Wren {Mai urns cyaneiis), and to learn 

 that the Ground-Parrot {Pezoporus formosus) is occasionally 

 Hushed from the heath land by the sea. Along the beaches I 

 noted many familiar sea-birds, and saw an Osprey {Pandion 

 leiicocephalns) soaring over a granite headland. 



In Lilly-pilly Gully the Black Cockatoo {Calyptorhynchus fu- 

 ncrciis) and the Gang-Gang Cockatoo {C alloc ephalon galeatuni) 

 are, at times, numerous ; possibly they nest in the dead trees 

 that crown high peaks on the Promontory. 



The Coachwhip-Bird {Psop/iodes crepitans) is not uncommon in 

 the tea-tree swamps, and Pilot-Birds {Pycnoptilns /loccosiis) are 

 al)undant in the bush near Scalers' Cove. Mountain slopes and 

 valleys, on the south-western side, that I " explored " in October, 

 were clothed in tea-tree. It was blossom time, and Honey- 

 eaters of several specie^ were feasting in thousands. The 

 Crescent Honey-eater {Lichmera aiislralasiana) was dominant, and 

 its sharp call, " E — gypt," echoed from every bush and tree. In 

 the Banksias {B. serrata and B. integrifoUa) Wattle-Birds 

 [AcanthocJucra caritncidata) were feeding noisily. It was pleasant 

 to linger in these places ; to watch the birds darting from tree 

 to tree, or clinging, often head downward, to slender twigs while 

 tliey rifled the flowers. Once, on a small tree, I saw three birds 

 — two Crescent Honey-eaters and a White-cheeked {Meliornis 

 sericea) — perched in a row, each on the tip of a swaying spray. 

 A valley near the ranger's cottage, on Darby River flat, was the 

 headquarters of the Honey-eaters ; they were numerous as 

 Sparrows at dusk in a suburban hedgerow. Seated in shadow 



