104 MORGAN— A Trip to y<ntli\V(sl Aih^iralia. 



trip. The m;xt staj;e wjis t'l-om Port Bedlaiul to Broome. 202 

 miles. The whole of .lime 0th was sj^ent at sea with nothing 

 of interest to be seen. Jiroonu' was reached at 11 p.m., with a 

 hard bnmp on the jetty, i)art of which we carried away. liroome 

 is also a tidal port, and on getting n\) l)efore breakfast we 

 found our ship high and dry on the mud. We spent a few 

 hours ashore here, posting letters and making small purchases, 

 also keeping a h)ok-out for birds. Those we saw had a very 

 familiar apj^earance, such as the Pied Grallina, P>lack-faced 

 Woodswallow, and Black-faced ("nckoo-shrike. The inhabi 

 luuts of Broome arc a sarcastic coiunK'Ut on, the "White Anslra 

 lia'' policy; almost every colom- uiKh-r the sun is to be found 

 among them. Oui- last stage was from P»roomc tit Derby, 2 to 

 miles. Soon afU'i- leaving Broome a few Brown (Junnets 

 sailed past the ship, and soon afterwards we passed ft)r miles 

 through a shoal of large fish, which seemed to feed on some 

 small fry; the water for as far as one could see was broken at 

 intervals as they leapt from the surface. \\^e had to anchor otf 

 Cape Leveqne for some hours, waiting f«>r daylight before ent<'i-- 

 ing King's Sound by the narrow and dangerous Ivsca]>e I'ass. 

 The scenery here is vei-y wild and rugged, but V(M-y desolate 

 looking from the sea. As we passed Sunday Ishmd five frigate 

 birds sailed majestically out and over the ship. \\> did not see 

 any Boatswain Birds, but Captain Courthope. of the Minderoo, 

 assured me that they were the white- tailed species, and that 

 he had caught one that came, aboard. This point is Morth fur- 

 ther investigation. 



Derby was reached on the evening of .June Itlh. The 

 town is situated at the extremity of King's Sound, on the estu- 

 ary of the Filzroy Kiver, and is a tidal port, the maximum rise 

 and fall being 42 feel. From the sea the prospect is most 

 tininviting; first a belt (d' numgroves growing in soft mud and 

 then a dry mud fiat, knov.n as "The Marshes." about a mile 

 wide, crossed by a causeway for the train and cattle i-ace. The 

 town itself is pretty; the founders, witii mor{> foresight than 

 usual, have left the huge baobab trees in the streets, which 

 have been further imi)roved by ])lanting Poincinuv c.rrcJ>)is. At 

 Derby we spent three days, waiting for transport, at one of the 

 hotels, of which the le;ist .said the better. The first day was 

 spent in a ramble through the scrub, locally called "pindau." 

 at the back of the town. Birds were numerous, the most con- 

 spicuous Ijeing the Sordid Friar Bird i !*hileiii(>n sordklus), 

 whose j>eculiar, not unpleasant, notes were to be heaid from 

 morning till night. I believe this bird has be'cn united with 

 Philemon citrcotjiihiris, l)ut T think it is at least entitled to sub- 



