Bird Life about Moree.



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BIRD LIFE ABOUT MOREE, N.S.W.: THE HOME

OF THE WHITE-WINGED BLUE WREN.


By an Old Australian Bird-lover.


Many a time in years gone by, when 1 stood before the exhibits

of the Australian Wrens in the Sydney Museum, I looked longingly at

the White-winged Blue Wrens, the gems of the whole tribe.


The late Mr. North, extracts from whose book on Australian

birds have several times appeared in this Magazine, and with whom

I spent pleasant hours when he came to see my birds (especially during

the nesting season), told me that his White-winged Wren was found in

the extreme west of N.S.W. on 20 miles from the Cobar-Bourke Railway,

and 500 miles away from Sydney, living amongst the Roly Poly weeds

in this “ never-never ” country. From my experience of these in¬

hospitable regions I knew it to be useless to attempt transporting such

delicate birds, even should I catch them.


The Moree bores enjoy the reputation of possessing great curative

properties, and I made up my mind to try them myself. Mentioning

this to a gentleman also interested in birds and knowing the Moree

district well, he told me when I showed him the various species of

Wren—I have five—that I would probably find the White-winged Wren

there, as he had personally seen them. That settled the trip, and

without much loss of time my son (whose holidays fell just then and

was also an enthusiast in bird matters) and myself set out for Moree in

quest of the White-winged Blue, Wren.


The little township of Moree is situated in the great western

plains of N.S.W., 420 miles by rail from Sydney. The journey is

uninteresting and tedious, especially during the trying summer weather ;

but one is pleasantly surprised to find such an out-of-the-way little

place so well laid out and cleanly kept. The streets are lined with

Kurrajong trees and Silky Oaks, which were in flower at the time of

our visit. Hundreds of Leatherheads were feeding, fighting, and

vociferating amongst the foliage. They are not pretty, but the old

male bird looks quaint in his bare head and frilled neck. Quite a number



