310RGAX—A Trip to Xorth-West Australia. 107 



and on the other lumps of charcoal. These wei-e kept quite 

 distinct and the colours were never mixed. There were no other 

 colours, although the birds could have obtainei glass and other 

 objects of almost any colour from the station yards. Nor 

 were thei"© any glistening objects, though such were easily 

 obtainable ; even the pieces of glass were worn and lustreless. 

 and in each of the bowers examined it was of exactly the same 

 shade of green. The following collection of articles was found 

 in one of the bowers — (1) Rones, ('2) clear glass, (.'>) while 

 shells, (4) white stones, (5) leaden bottle capsules, ( t; i gal- 

 vanised nails, (7) tea lead, (8i green glass, (!)) charcoal. 

 All the ibowers were built among low, dark green bushes, with 

 a small green berry-like fruit, known locally as "kunkleberry 

 bush." More than one pair of birds nse each bower; on two 

 occasions I saw three birds at one of them, but never more than 

 that. When at the bower the birds make only a low, growling 

 sort of noise. I did not hear them do any mimicking, but 

 once at Derby, whilst sitting on a verandah, two birds came 

 into a shadehouse close by and gave a very fair imitation of 

 the Pied (Ji-allina and the Black-faced Grancuhis. These birds 

 were very plentiful about Meda homestead and very tame, com- 

 ing right on to the verandah after scraps. They are frugiferous 

 and consequently not welcome visitors to the gardens; they are 

 particularly fond of tomatoes. The stomach of one bird col- 

 lected contained only triturated vegetable mattei-. They are 

 much more numerous about the stations and stockyards than 

 in the open bush, perhaps on account of the ])ieces of glass 

 being more available there. Some of the pieces of glass are 

 of quite large sijce, one i»iece weighing 20 grammes. 



Crows are very scarce in this district, their place as sca- 

 vengers being taken by the Allied Kites {MUcks migrans), a 

 flock of 100 or moi-e of which birds were constantly hovering 

 over Meda Station; with them were a few Whistling Eagles 

 (Ealiastur spheniiriis\. No Wedge-tailed Eagles or Magpies 

 were seen throughout the trip; the former are said to be very 

 rare and the latter are unknown. There is a great variation 

 in the colour of the Allied Kites, some being as light as Whist- 

 ling Eagles and others on the wing looked quite black. Other 

 Hawks seen during the trip were Kestrels, Grey Falcons, and 

 Goshawks {Astiir iioraehollandiae) and Brown Hawks (Hiera- 

 cidea herigora) , -.xW very dark in colour; I did not see any 

 striped birds. 



On June l<Sth Mr. Millard got some of the blanks to make 

 spear-heads for us; two of them were made of stone, but nowa- 

 days bottle glass is moi'e commonly used, being easier to Avork. 



