go Carter, Birds Occurring in the Region of N.W. Cape. [J( 



mu 

 Oct. 



(44.) EREMIORNIS CARTERI (Carter Desert-Bird). — This bird was only 

 noted about the ranges and table-land, and also on the flat below the range, 

 north of the Yardie Creek. It appears to me singular that neither this 

 species nor the Stipiturus ruficeps was ever noted south of that creek, 

 though the country is precisely similar on each side. This species does 

 not seem to care to fly unless suddenly disturbed by the passage of a horse 

 or buggy. Its flight is feeble, with the short, rounded wings rapidly beating, 

 and tail drooping and expanded. After being once flushed it is difficult to 

 rise one again. On one occasion a specimen was shot and marked down 

 into a very small scrubby bush with a little spinifex and dead leaves round. 

 After searching about half an hour, I systematically rooted up and threw 

 away all the spinifex and bush except one branch about an inch in diameter, 

 which was pressing close to the ground, and it was only upon lifting this 

 up that the winged bird was discovered lying underneath. On being exposed 

 it fluttered away, but was soon captured. The only note it has been heard to 

 utter is a harsh " chat chat." On 16th September, 1901, a male bird was 

 shot off a nest from which young birds had recently fledged, and I take it 

 to be a nest of this species (see Emu, vol. i., p. 56). All specimens shot 

 contained remains of black beetles, especially the so-called " pie-dish " beetle, 

 and small-sized grasshoppers. 



(45.) SPHENOSTOMA CRISTATUM (Wedgebill). — The remarkable song of this 

 very wary bird could be heard in any densely-foliaged patch of thicket, 

 cither inland or among the coastal hills. It consists of five loud ringing 

 notes, repeated rapidly a great many times, and one would wonder how 

 the bird could keep it up so long without pausing to " draw breath." Bush- 

 men locally call the bird the " Sweet-Kitty-Lintol," and these words, 

 with strong accent on the last syllable, very fairly represent the rhythm 

 of the song. Occasionally a metallic ringing double note was uttered at 

 the conclusion of the song. When disturbed from a patch of the thickly- 

 leaved " Ming-ga " (aboriginal) bush, which these birds love to haunt, 

 they fly silently, with their white-tipped tail feathers widely expanded, 

 to another patch, and are difficult to sight again. The prettily-marked 

 bluish eggs are laid in July or August. The natives dislike very much 

 to hear this bird singing, and attribute ill-luck to it. 



(46.) CRACTICUS NIGRIGULARIS (Black-throated Butcher-Bird). — These 

 birds were sparingly distributed in the patches of mallee growing about 

 25 miles inland. They were also noted on the Minilya and Lyons Rivers, 

 and are kept occasionally by the settlers for the beauty of their notes. 

 They were known in the district as " Magpies." In their wild state they are 

 extremely shy, and I heard their beautiful notes on various occasions for 

 some years before I succeeded in securing specimens. At a sheep camp 

 on my inland run a bird was once observed hopping about the brush fences 

 of the sheep-yards, and it was the only time I saw this bird exhibit any 

 degree of tameness. On 19th July, 1900, I camped in a patch of mallee 

 with the determined intention of identifying the species. There was a 

 moon, and one of the birds commenced to utter its rich flute-like notes 

 in the very early hours of the morning, between two and three o'clock. 

 My native boy and self were having breakfast at daybreak, when a party 

 of five Emus came right up to our camp, and stood within ten yards, in- 

 tently observing us. My dog barked furiously, but the birds only ran 

 away a short distance and again came up, doing this three times before they 

 finally left us. Breakfast over, we started to find the Butcher-Bird, which 

 was still singing, but, after walking for a great part of the morning, we 

 found the song always kept some 200 yards ahead of us, the bird moving 

 on as we approached, without our ever sighting it. We were returning to 



