164 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



trees last for years, and do not seem to be attacked by insects in 

 the same way. 



Our last day was spent in collecting in the neighbourhood of the 

 camp. In a creek near by the deep note of a frog was often heard, 

 and again the shrill notes of a smaller kind. Tadpoles were seen 

 in the shallow holes. In a beautiful Sago Palm on the bank of 

 a creek, a Cat Bird had its nest with two young ones. And in the 

 clear water the long green vines of the Lawyer Palm were often 

 noticed trailing. Crested Pigeons, Sopholaimus antarcticus, were 

 seen on several occasions, and two secured. A curious cobweb 

 was observed on a large rotten log: the spider had a tunnel into 

 the soft wood, the sides of which were well lined with cobweb, 

 and using that as a centre, had made a closely constructed web 

 radiating all round against the log. The natives brought in two 

 Bennett's Tree Kangaroos they had shot, and one of them, a 

 male, had one of its ears completely bitten off, which the natives 

 said had been done by a Tiger Cat, but the chances are that if 

 a Tiger Cat could manage to chew the ear off it would certainly 

 have had to kill the animal first, as the kangaroo would not 

 be likely to sit quietly under the operation. It puzzled me a good 

 deal to find how it was done and what did it ; but on leaving 

 " Wyalla " for Melbourne, two Tree Kangaroos were placed in a 

 box together — one an old male, the other a female — and it was not 

 long before the female got hold of the ear of the male and chewed it 

 until very little was left, and also scratched his face about a good 

 deal, so that it is very evident that in a state of nature they do the 

 same thing. The old male seemed to bear it very patiently, but 

 why the female should have that habit, or why the male should 

 let them do it, I cannot explain, unless it be a sign of affection. 

 During the evening the blacks cooked their wallabies, and also a 

 Tallegalla, and eat the bird and one of the wallabies, the other 

 being given to our old guide, who put it on one side until hungry. 



Next morning an early start was made, walking in single file as 

 usual. Merrgo, our dog, found several Scrub Turkeys, or Talle- 

 gallas, for us, and we passed two mounds. The male bird seems 

 to make their nesting mound entirely by himself, jealously keep- 

 ing the hens away, and if they attempt to scratch holes in the 

 mound before he considers it ready he beats them off unmerci- 

 fully. The birds we saw at the mounds were males ; they are 

 generally in its neighbourhood, and keep it in repair. They have 

 stronger legs and feet than the hen birds. These actions I have 

 noticed by watching the birds in captivity. Their mounds are 

 composed principally of leaves and a few sticks, but very 

 little soil, not more than would naturally cling to the leaves as 

 they were being gathered together. Sixteen eggs seem to be a 

 full clutch. Mr. Hislop informed me that in dry weather the 

 eggs have a greater quantity of leaves over them than in wet. In 



