40 CIll'JNEBY — Notes on lllrd^ of Souih-Wf'st Queevshuul. 



On the arrival of our convoy (the Messrs. Tonrick) and 

 (tur new car with driver — this time a six cylinder F>uick — we 

 bid farewell to onr kind hosts of Tiboobnrra where ajjain we 

 had fared most excellently. About thirty-six to forty miles 

 on, the Qneensland nettin<i' and allejied vermin proof fence was 

 ]»asse(l thi'onjih. Shorlly aftei- leavin<i Tibooburi-a. two interes- 

 ting- sjtecies were noted, namely, the desert chat i As]ihi/i<i), and 

 the IM-atincole. These, like the dottrells. jjrefer o])en stoney 

 tablelands, and are only met with in such localities. Tliis should 

 be the tirst record for the chat beinu' found in New South Wales. 

 IVrsonally it struck me that their habits more nearly a]>]>roach 

 tijose of the pil)it than those of the chats. They never seem 

 to li<>ht on a bush as the chats do — beinji i>ni-ely a i>round bird. 

 When distnrbed they fly quite lonji' distances, unless near their 

 nest. Dr. Macji^illivray obtained a skin or two of this sjtecies. 

 Tlie ])ratincole is a most <>raceful little chap, and sits (|uite neai' 

 the track. Both this species and the Australian dottrell 



appear to have a partiality for the bare surface, oenerally dusty 

 or sandy, of a. road. On our i-etuni journey we actually met 

 with the dead body of a dottrell, probably a younii, inexpe 

 i-ienced bird that had been run ovei- by the mail. The local name 

 for the ])ratincole — the swallow plover — is most a]»|»ro])riate. 

 ^Ve did not have the j>ood fortune to find a nest, but we found 

 a nest or two of the desert chat later on at Nappa Merrie. 

 After ]iassin<;- throujih the Yal])ung"a .sate in the fence, we ran 

 nlonji' the Wari-i Warri Creek and heard the sweet notes of the 

 ^^ed<i■ebill fre(piently. At a dam on the creek near Naryilco 

 cattle staticm homestead, a few water birds were flushed 

 including: white-eyed duck, grey teal, straAv-necked ibis, darter. 

 ;ind black duck. This, our first nicht out. was s]»ent on the 

 i:Tound under the stars and one did not sleej) quite so soundly 

 as on a sprin^^;- matti-ess 



We were no\A' in the cattle country and had to do as the 

 cattlemen do — a finei-, cheerier lot of men one would nevei- 

 wish to meet. Some strenuous times over washed-out creek 

 beds, obliterated crossiuiis, occu])ied us most of this day and 

 crave little time for bird observation. We did identifv a black 

 falcon, more Australian dottrells, and IMatincoles at Tna])erra. 

 We left the AVarri and soon struck the A\'ilson tloodwaters. 

 Here the black-tailed native hen, Australian cool, white-fr<mted 

 heron. Tacific hei-on, and many dncks were seen. Straw-necked 

 ibis were also seen fiyinji' over the *liu,nuiii swani]>s which here 

 sd-etch. not for acres, but for miles. 



