166 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



they have of securing a roothold on the sand and mud, and the 

 various ways their roots grow : not only do they drop their long- 

 pointed single seed into the sand or mud below, into which if it 

 sticks it would grow like a cutting, but they send down long 

 roots from various branches high up, which when they reach the 

 ground take root, and are an additional source of strength to 

 enable the tree to withstand the force of the incoming tide and 

 strong winds, as they often grow a long way out from the shore, 

 and only have the surface of the sand exposed for a short time 

 at low tide ; their roots also grow in a loop-like fashion, the 

 upper portion being out of the ground at varying distances from 

 two feet downwards, and they soon form a regular network round 

 the tree, which is then well able to withstand the storms by 

 which it may be assailed. On several occasions we heard the 

 Flinders Cuckoo, Eudynamis cyanocephala, uttering its call during 

 the night, keeping the Megapodes company, and it was generally 

 to be seen among the tops of the trees feeding on fruit. 



Next day I started for " Wyalla" on foot, with the guide, the 

 others remaining for the cutter, which was due next day. The 

 distance was 20 miles, and many portions of the road very steep, 

 and the small loose stones often made walking very difficult. 

 We did not see any signs of the supposed New Caledonian 

 escapees, but we found afterwards that they were following close 

 on our tracks, but keeping out of sight. Many of the views we 

 obtained from some of the high hills we traversed were very 

 extensive and beautiful. We flushed a Long-tailed Nightjar from 

 the ground close to the track, and found it was sitting on its two 

 eggs, no nest being made. The country passed over was open 

 forest, and not much timber, what there was being small, and 

 very little protection from the burning sun. A Sulphur-crested 

 Cockatoo, Gacatua galerita, was disturbed from the hollow of a 

 tree, where it probably had its nest. These birds are fairly 

 plentiful all over the district, both in the scrub and open forest 

 country, and were busy nesting at this time of the year. They 

 often fly very high when passing from one place to another. 

 When going through a belt of scrub near the Bloomfield River 

 we heard a frog calling out just off the track, and on my going 

 up to see the cause found a snake had caught it by the hind leg ; 

 when it saw me close by, it let go the frog and hurriedly departed, 

 the frog not forgetting to do the same, only in an opposite 

 direction. When the snake let go, and seemed to be coming our 

 way in a hurry, the old guide, with a yell, gave two or three quick, 

 vigorous jumps to get out of the way ; but the snake was harm- 

 less, and just as anxious to get out of his way as he was of it. 

 A tree where some Shining Calornis were nesting was passed, 

 and the noise they made could be heard for a considerable 

 distance ; viewed from afar, they looked like a swarm of bees 



