148 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Macdonnell Ranges. — According to a correspondent in the 

 Adelaide Advertiser of 30th January, it is more than likely that 

 the Macdonnell Ranges, lying almost in the centre of the 

 Australian continent, will become the scene of a great goldfield. 

 A geological map of the district, lately issued by Mr. H. Brown, 

 the Colonial Geologist of South Australia, shows a belt 

 of country about 500 miles long and 100 miles wide, a great 

 proportion of which is of a metamorphic and plutonic character, 

 and therefore highly metalliferous. This is situated about 300 

 miles north of Oodnadatta, the present terminus of the trans- 

 continental railway, which is itself some 480 miles north 

 of Adelaide. Crushings recently obtained at Arltunga, about 

 60 miles east of Alice Springs, have averaged i ^ ozs. to the ton, 

 so that the scene of the Horn Expedition's explorations five years 

 ago may soon become a busy mining camp. 



Hawks versus Ducks. — In Mr. Robert Hall's entertaining 

 notes on Box Hill birds published in the February number 

 of this journal, he quotes Mr. Fletcher, of Queensland, to the 

 effect that the Black Duck, Anas superciliosa, can outfly any 

 of the raptores of that colony. Great as its powers of flight 

 undoubtedly are, it would appear from the following account 

 furnished by my brother that we have in Victoria a falcon or 

 hawk that is more than a match for it in this respect. He says : 

 — " While at Serpentine Creek I frequently saw the Black Duck 

 overtaken and killed by a dark-coloured hawk with sharp-pointed 

 wings, which seldom allowed its victims to escape. I was out 

 riding on one occasion when a duck suddenly came into view, 

 with a hawk close behind it. The pace was tremendous ; just 

 over a large billybong the hawk overtook and struck its quarry, 

 which tumbled headlong into the water and disappeared ; the 

 hawk circled round a few times and flew away. Riding to the 

 spot, I waited some time for the duck to reappear, but as it did 

 not I dismounted and waded in to see what had become of it. 

 The water being very clear, I soon saw it about two feet under 

 the surface, holding on to a reed-stem with its bill to prevent 

 itself from rising. Reached down and secured it, and found it 

 still alive and vigorous, but unable to fly." In this district 

 (Birchip) the Brown Hawk, Hieracidea berigora, has been occa- 

 sionally known to kill the Black Duck. — J. C. Goudie. 28th 

 February, 1899. 



We have received a copy of Natures, NovUates, a fortnightly 

 catalogue of papers in all branches of physical science, and 

 published by Messrs. Friedlander and Sohn, of Berlin, The 

 publication has now been issued regularly for nineteen years, and 

 is a most useful help to anyone searching for literature. It does 

 not seem to be taken in any of our Melbourne libraries. 



