Vol. III. 

 1904 



MlLLIGAN, Notes on a Trip to the Wongan Hills, W.A. 2 2 



which was comparatively speaking numerous on the moist, 

 brackish, sandy tracts in the vicinity of the lakes and also on 

 the plains. As M. pulchcrrimus loves the dry, stony country, 

 so does M. Icucopterus love the inland sand areas. We found 

 it most difficult to get sight of a male, although we could 

 frequently hear their singular " reeling " notes. On the other 

 hand, the females were most fearless and trusting, and could 

 always be brought to foot with a decoy note. The broods were 

 all out, and on many occasions I caught and examined young 

 ones. We managed to secure two males during the trip, but 

 neither fell to my gun, although I chased one from bush to bush 

 at full speed and with much enthusiasm for fully half a mile. 

 They appear to be always on the alert and at the same time 

 very distrustful. No doubt these unenviable but life-essential 

 qualities have been developed and made constant by their being 

 continually harassed by their enemies, their brilliant plumage 

 making them conspicuous objects in the landscape. The habit 

 of elusion has eventually become a second nature with them. 

 Colour to this surmise is given by the fact that the females, who 

 are sombre in colour, are quite fearless. When being chased 

 the male bird adopts highly intelligent tactics. Dropping into 

 the first convenient bush at its base, he quickly passes through 

 to the other side of it, and immediately takes wing and flies with 

 great rapidity to the next shelter, thus interposing the quitted 

 bush between the pursuer and pursued, with every advantage 

 to the latter. On comparing the skins of the two male birds we 

 secured with some skins of the same species obtained at Day 

 Dawn (some 200 miles farther north),* the former was of a 

 distinctly darker blue ; and on a further comparison of both 

 the above with the skin of a male obtained at Yule River, in the 

 north-west, the last was much paler blue than either, and in 

 addition was larger, and had brown legs and bill instead of 

 black ones. The difference between the Wongan bird and the 

 Yule River bird was very marked indeed, but the Day Dawn 

 bird helped to bridge in a slight degree the gap of difference. 

 The female of the Yule River is a clear biscuit-brown with whitish 

 under parts, whilst the females from the other two localities 

 named varied from an obscure brown to greyish-brown. 



On one of the large shallow lakes we met with a company of 

 Cladorhynchus leucocephalus numbering 80 or thereabouts. 

 Desirous to make sure in the first place of securing some speci- 



* This affords some food for study. In Australia, speaking generally, the rule has 

 been, the farther one goes north the brighter and more conspicuous the colouration 

 of the birds— a fact only in accordance with and accentuating the law of environ- 

 ment. Proofs of this are forthcoming along our eastern coast until the " bond and 

 verge " of our " region " in New Guinea are reached. In the instance cited an 

 exception comes in, and from it a question arises : Have former observations been 

 faulty, or is there a zone in which Nature hangs in the balance and may go either 

 way — in this case to a fainter shade ? Such a question as this, more is the pity, is 

 often lest sight of in the enthusiasm of a collector in the field. There observation is 

 not close enough. — H.K. 



