J^"' 1 Field Naturalists' Club — Proceedings. 127 



of the cliffs to become shore shingle. The iron distributed 

 throughout the cliffs is by a similar process being dissolved 

 and re-deposited. But in this instance the concretions are 

 characterized by a great diversity of shape. 



PAPERS READ. 



1. By Mr. G. A. Keartland, entitled " On the Blood-stained 

 Cockatoo, Cacatua sanguinea, GId." 



The author said the object of his paper was to protest 

 against the undue multiplication of species by present-day 

 ornithologists on insufficient data and study of the bird dealt 

 with. Cacatua sanguinea had been named and described by 

 Gould. In a flock of these birds individuals were to be found 

 having the naked skin round the eye of a white colour and 

 others having it of a blue tint. On this variation alone a 

 new species, Cacatua gymnopis, had been founded. The bird 

 he exhibited when young had the skin round the eyes of a 

 white colour, but now, when fifteen years old, the skin, as 

 all could see, was blue He would like to be informed 

 whether the bird was the Blood-stained or the Bare-eyed 

 Cockatoo. So far as he was concerned, C. sanguinea and C. 

 gymnopis were one and the same bird. 



'Mr. A. H. E. Mattingley, C.M.Z.S., said the club was in- 

 debted to Mr. Keartland for bringing the matter before the 

 meeting. Mr. Keartland had the widest field knowledge of 

 any ornithologist in Australia, and he was in accord with 

 the opinion he had expressed. 



The president said the matter was settled some time ago 

 by Mr. A. J. North, C.M.Z.S., who gave as his opinion that 

 Cacatua gymnopis is undoubtedly Cacatua sanguinea. 



2. By Mr. E. H. Lees, C.E.. F.R.A.S., entitled " What 

 is Nardoo?" 



In a very interesting paper, the author adduced reasons 

 for concluding that the name " Nardoo," commonly applied 

 to Marsilca quadrifolia, L., a plant widely known by repute 

 by reason of its association with the ill-fated explorers, Burke 

 and Wills, is not the name of a plant, but refers to a food 

 made by the Australian aborigines from seeds of several 

 plants. 



Mr. G. A. Keartland said that during his exploring trips 

 in North- West Australia he often saw the aborigines cook- 

 ing many kinds of seeds, but he had never noticed them pre- 

 paring any seeds of the plant we know as " Nardoo." 



In reply to Dr. Hall's inquiry if any swampy ground 

 existed in the neighbourhood of the spots at which he had 

 seen the natives preparing food, Mr. Keartland answered in 

 the affirmative. 



Mr. F. G. A. Barnard considered the author's conclusions 

 reasonable, and that the name " Nardoo " was applied by the 

 natives to a food and not to the plant Marsilea quadrifolia. 



