MORGAX—A Trip to y<>rth-Wcst Australia. lO: 



speriflc rank. Another l)ird i-enuvi-kable for its bean Mini song 

 is the Black-throated Bntcher Bird {Cracticiis niyrigiilari.s, siih- 

 sp. picatus). This bird is quite common, even in tlie town- 

 ship; its tuneful notes are to be heard all day. but more com- 

 monly in the mornings and evenings. In the red-flowered Bohe- 

 mia trees, j)robably a corru])tion of hauhiiiia. were flocks of 

 Yellow-tinted Honey-eaters (McJiphaga fforesceiifi \, Black- 

 faced Woodswalknvs, and IMed Caterpillar-eaters. The two 

 latter birds seemed to have, become almost entirely honey- 

 eaters; a specimen of each, shot for museuTii ])nrposes, had the 

 forehead bright yellow from the pollen of the flowers. All 

 the cater])illar bird.s were in winter plumage, evidently being 

 here in their winter quarters. Small families of Babblers 

 ( Potnatostoiniif^ nihcciiJiis) were noisily playing about in the 

 undergrowth. Brown Flycatchers (Microeca assiiuilis) were 

 singing in the scrub, and every now and then a "Kimberley 

 Kookaburra" iDavclo leaclii) would glide past, while overhead 

 small flocks of Red-winged Parrots {Ptistes crijthropterus) 

 passed or settled in a fresh feeding tree. On the telegraph 

 wires were occasional Red-backed Kingfishers and any number 

 of Gala'hs, and now and again, a Great Bower Bird (Chlamydera 

 niicJialis) would fly across the street from one garden to 

 another, and as evening came on a large flock of Bee-eaters 

 came into the town and .settled in the trees for the night. 



On June 9th Mr. H. Monger, took us crabbing at the end of 

 the jetty. I cannot say too much of the kindness and help- 

 fulness of this gentleman, Avithout whose aid we would have 

 been like lost sheep. The tide was going out when we arrived 

 at the jetty, and the bare jnud was covered with walking fish, 

 small, slim fish from foui- to eight inches long, which crawl 

 about on the wet mud and hop when they are in a hurry, and 

 sometimes make short leaps into the air after flies. Here and 

 ther-e bright scarlet sj)ots showed up vividly ; these were scarlet- 

 and-black fighting crabs, which scurried into their holes at the 

 least alarm. Tlie walking fisb were, very inquisitive, and if 

 a piece of stick be thrown into the mud they will hop up and 

 form an admiring circle around it. 



The mangroves near the jetty are snmll and thickly .set, the 

 mud is also soft and deep, and a crocodile track near the jetty 

 not being very reas.suring, I did not go into them. From the jetty 

 we saw the ^fnngrove Thickhead (Pacht/ccpJiala lanioidvs) . 

 a Fantail (Rliipidiira suhphastami), the Chestnut bellied Rail 

 (Eulahcornis cui^tanrovGntris), a INTangrove Bittern (Buto- 

 ridrs striata) y and an unidentified Grriif/on<\ Sacred King- 

 fishers along the edge of the mangroves were taking their toll 



