54 WHITE— A Sketch of the Life, of Samuel \i'hiff. 



this district). In a large well close to the house a family of 

 frogs took up their abode some years ago, and in the course of 

 time thei]' numbers increased, till they were to be seen in hun- 

 dreds, and in all stages from the great-grandfathers down to 

 the tiniest infants. One of fhe cranes came along last week 

 and paid daily visits to the well. Yesterday we went over to 

 clean the well out, the crane had left and the frogs along with 

 ir. The water hens liave just about all disappeared. I was 

 down at the ]\Inrray mouth last Aveek, and where they were in 

 thousands tliree months ago. only odd ones were seen. The 

 water crakes have all disappeared from here, but undoubtedly 

 will return with the winter. A few weeks ago when returning 

 from Woods Wells I came across a Bittern travelling in a 

 southerly direction. This bird and a Nankeen or Night 

 Heron which T saw last June are the only two birds of their 

 kind T have ever seen here, although nearly 30 years ago I saw 

 several of the latter bird in the swamps at the back of Salt 

 Creek. Our three boys are beginning to show a keen interest 

 in bird life, and we are careful to cultivate it. The two mag- 

 pies brought out their chicks this season which in due course 

 were introduced to the scrap heap in the back yard, and are 

 now on intimate terms with the children who feed them. 

 These birds have become very quiet, and will hardly fly out of 

 the way. 



! t has often occurred to mt as strange that although the 

 Australian Hoverlies were here in thousands years ago^ 

 they have been very scarce for a number of years, and I have 

 not seen any for quite a time till lately, when on a trip along 

 the Hummocks 1 saw one and the only bird seemingly on this 

 end of the Coorong. 



A Sketch of the Life of Samuel White^ 

 Ornithologist, Soldier, Sailor, and Explorer. 



By His Son, S. A. White, C.M.B.O.U. 



XX. THE ORNITHOLOGIST AND SAILOR. 



The bird next in importance to the Great Bird if not in 

 beauty certainly in singularity of plumage is the little King 

 I'ird Cicinurus rrrjia <>f tlic naini'nlisl, and cfilled bv the Am 



