120 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



couple of Geometers, Selidosema argoplaca and *S'. cognata, the 

 ever common Taxeotis isophanes, and a few of the pretty little 

 CEcophora poli/chroi. A peculiar-looking hyinenopterous insect 

 belonging to the Evaniidse was often seen resting on trees with 

 its minute abdomen held up at the end of a long petiole, while on 

 sunny days numbers of brown and red dragon-flies darted to and 

 fro amongst the spinifex. 



Of birds there was a fairly good muster, but mostly of 

 the species enumerated in the list of Birchip birds published 

 in the Naturalist a i^^w years ago. Occasionally, however, 

 a flock of Black-tailed Parrakeets would fly past. Red-backed 

 and Barnard's were very numerous, and one of the latter, 

 a male, showed a divergence from typical specimens in having 

 the whole of the top of the head of a bright yellow colour, 

 matching the yellow breast-band ; in other respects the plumage 

 was normal. I was sorry I had not a gun at the time, as it was 

 one of those occasions when a bird in the hand is worth quite a 

 number in the bush. Round about our camp a flock of about a 

 dozen Pink Cockatoos were often in evidence, and making a 

 great show of cleaning out hollows for nesting purposes. Chest- 

 nut-backed Ground-Thrush, Bronze-winged Pigeon, and Peaceful 

 Doves were plentiful, and a few Scrub-Robins were seen, but no 

 nests found. In the course of our rambles we came across a 

 good many Mallee Hens' nests, but the birds were not working ; 

 they never do so until a fall of rain occurs, so that the material is 

 wet when scraped into the mound. If one wishes to see them at 

 the nest he must approach with extreme caution against the wind, 

 as at the least noise they rush away into the scrub. In observing 

 the habits of the different birds as they came under notice, we 

 aften remarked the similarity between the actions of some of 

 the smaller Honey-eaters and the Tree-creepers and Sitellas. 

 The Graceful and VVhite-eared especially seemed to pass most of 

 the time hunting for insects under the bark of trees, performing 

 various gymnastic feats with apparent ease, and evidently quite 

 " up to " the tree-creeping business in all its branches. Specula- 

 tion flits through the observer's mind as to whether Darwin 

 could have told us of a Honey-eater with true scansorial feet, 

 which ate the nectar from blossoms, and made its nest in hollow 

 trees. 



A remarkable fact was the almost entire absence of raptorial 

 birds, one specimen each of Wedge-tailed Eagle, Brown Hawk, 

 and Goshawk being the only ones seen in the Mallee ; but in the 

 open country bordering the plains they were more numerous, 

 dead sheep and lambs doubtless being the attraction. 



Of reptiles, a young Brown Snake, Blue-tongued Lizard, Jew 

 Lizard, and a species of Gecko found under the bark of trees 

 may be mentioned. 



