Dec, 1907.] THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 125 



rays, consequently it was anticipated that we would have a good 

 muster ; nor were we disappointed, for our party numbered 

 nineteen when gathered together on the Melton platform. We 

 were pleased to welcome Mr. F. L. Billinghurst, who had come 

 from Bacchus Marsh for his first outing with the Club, and Mr. J. 

 A. Leach, M.Sc, who was accompanied by several nature study 

 teachers from the Training College. Owing to the dryness of 

 the season Melton looked its very worst. Mr. Raleigh, who has 

 resided there for the past 45 years, declared that he had never 

 seen it so dry before. Soon after leaving the railway station we 

 crossed a number of paddocks in which the grass is usually knee- 

 deep in October, and birds of many species to be seen on all 

 sides — finches, &c., on the ground, insectivorous birds and honey- 

 eaters in the trees ; but on the 26th the ground was so bare 

 that the hares and rabbits which are usually found there had all 

 deserted the place. However, on crossing Mr. Morsley's farm, 

 where numbers of Black-breasted Plovers, Zonijer tricolor, are 

 usually met with, the warning notes of a pair of old birds were 

 heard as they called their brood of four young ones away from 

 our path. Brown Hawks, probably H. berigora, soared over- 

 head, whilst Pipits, Anihus australis, ran over the ground but a 

 few yards from us. After a call at Mr. Raleigh's farm, where a 

 supply of milk and water for lunch was obtained, we were soon 

 amongst the mallee scrub, although one very interesting place 

 had been cleared off. Birds were scarce, but the Yellow-tufted 

 Honey-eater, Ftilotis auricoinis, was soon disturbed, and the 

 notes of the Sooty Crow-Shrike, Strepera Juliginosa, heard. 

 Whilst reducing the weight of our lunch bags near the creek, a 

 pair of Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrikes, Graucalus melanops, passed 

 over. A Bronzewing Pigeon, Phaps chalcoptera, was disturbed in 

 the scrub. A short walk on the higher land brought us to a 

 series of gullies where some mallee was just breaking into 

 blossom. Here Pennant's Parrakeets, Platycercus elegaiis, and 

 Rosellas, P. eximius, were disturbed, and some of the latter 

 found dead on the ground — the result of eating rabbit poison. 

 Whilst resting in the shade members with their field glasses had 

 opportunities for watching quite a number of birds, including 

 seven species of honey-eaters, three of robins, three cuckoos, and 

 a host of others. The surprise of the day was the appearance of 

 a pair of Bee-eaters, Merops ornatus, which perched on a dry tree, 

 thus affording us a good view of them. This visit of these 

 northern birds is probably due to the drought in their usual 

 habitat. We have never heard of them being seen at Melton 

 before. The party now scattered in various directions. Whilst 

 some were searching for botanical specimens, others were in quest 

 of pond life in a small water-hole in the creek. Several searched 

 diligently for nests, without much success, except the finding of 



