132 MUK(JAX—A Trip to Xurtli-Wcsl AiistraUa. 



still vcvy iniiiii'i'dus. Tlu'v ni-c of llic siiccirs Wnlhihiii injills 

 and Oiii/clio</(il( iiii</iiifcr(i . I lie hiilci- willi a cnriiins nail like 

 a]tl>eiHlaii(' lo llirciid of llic lail. ll also lias a jK'ciiliai- liahil 

 <)]■ hoi)i)iuji- with llie riiilil foi-c-lej;' held out ai iii;lii-aii,:;l(' lo llii' 

 body and .i-iviiig' a liltle sqnoak at <'iu-li jniiip. ICiims ar<' (|uil(' 

 rare; \\v did inW iikh'1 with any iJjr-on.uhoni ilic iiiit. On 



January L'ilth Mr. (Mialnu'is di-oxc iis to .Mrda on our way l»ack 

 to J)ei-by. IIcic I fonnd a cliifk of ihc IMack rronicd Doiicrrl 

 whicli had Ikhmi cau^lil on the haid^s of I lie hillaltonii. 'I'liis 

 was the only sjkm ics (.f hollcicl seen in (he disirici. NN'c also 

 saw here two yon iiii' r>in<' niouitlain Tarrois in (•apli\ily. They 

 proved to be Tricliof/lossn.s nihihn-tjtiix. and wci-c (airly conmion 

 in the iiuni- tree counli-y. W'v l-fl Mcda m ~^.\7^ next nmrnin.u 

 and l)reakfas1(Ml abonl iiini' miles out on ilu' Ih'i'by track at 

 ]S'ative AVell, whcie inmiy i.oni;-! ailed I'inidies were di'inkin.u. 

 Further on. in the sandy conntry, scwral IMark-headed rar(hi- 

 lotes Avere flushed rnnn llwii- burrows in the bai-c sand. In 

 thesandy eonii'tiy i!,]o\vs a euealypius kin)w n locallx as "woolly 

 butt," some of wliicli were ablazi' with beauiirul r<'ddisli-oranii<' 

 bhissonis, anioni;' ^\■hildl the Soi-did I'riar birds were re\ elliiiu-. 

 J?lack-throated 'Ji.lcher birds wei'e also numerons. and their 

 beautiful son.u (indd b;- beard all alon.u llie track. At |)erby 

 Mr. Mon-ger kindly lent us liis ])artnei-"s Iiouse. wIkm-c wv 

 camped, having oui- nu'als at the luHel. The lu-xt two (hiys 

 were spent in jiackin^- up and saying Ljooil-bve to friends. On 

 duly -nd we left i >erby in the s.s. (!orij;(in, feeling that we had 

 bai-ely scratched the natural hisioi-y o|' the district ; indeed, six 

 nuuitlis, or <>\iMi a whole yeai'. conb! be sjieiit there willi pi-oht. 

 Between Derby and i*.i-o(nne many sea snakes wci-e seen; they 

 w<'re of two sjiec;.'-< one dull yellow, anil lie' othei- banded with 

 dull red. They ;:re \-ery cons}»icuous objeci.s in the water and 

 very slu<>.!.iisli in their nM>\<'inents. They ar<' said to be \eiH' 

 mous and I should think thai is so. othei-wise they would loni; 

 since have been exi erminali'd by the (lauiuMs. Aboni iwchc 

 hours after leaving' r>ioi)m<' the ship was found lo 1k' u\\ lii-e in 

 the after hold, and thecour.se wasalt<M-<'d t(» " back to 15roouie;" 

 but about midni.uht the fire was consi(h^red under control and 

 llu.^ captain decided to make straight for l''i-enmntle with<»ut 

 callin.ii" anywhere. ( "oiHiitions were \<'ry uni>leasaut, as the 

 fir<' had i-eacdied s(nne cyani(h' of |)otassium in the hold and the 

 whole of th<^ ship reek'ed in cyanide Cumes. .Many of ihi' cattle 

 whieh wer<> between decks wi're poisoned ami liad to be thi-(»wn 

 oviM-'board. On -inly .">1h we passed lhrou,i;h ."zreal tlocks of 

 r>ro\vn (Tannels and a few ^laskcMl CJanuets. W'v were at the 

 time nol far from IVedont Island, a liiHMt nestinu place of these 



