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Australian Bird-lover,



of other Honey-eaters were noticed, with which we were not familiar.

In the mornings between five and six on our way to the Bore Baths we

noticed hundreds of Red-rumped, and here and there a pair of lnany-

coloured Parrakeets, feeding in the streets; whilst Galahs in their silver

and pink plumage could always be seen flying in pairs over the town.

The Mehi River flows through the town—that is to say when there is

water in it; at the time of our visit there were but pools here and there.

It is spanned by a very modern bridge. Looking down from it we could

at any time see, not many yards away, various species of Water-fowl.

White and Grey Cranes, Black and White Shags, Water-hens, Dotterels,

and other species of birds came to drink and hunt early in the morning.

A little out of the town we noticed flocks of Spurwing Plovers, and came

across a pair of “ Plain Turkeys Numbers of Masked Wood Swallows

perched on fences and wires; happy families in their sombre attire were

seen wherever a little scrub existed—miserably, for the drought had

killed almost every tree not growing on a watercourse. Top-knot

Pigeons were quite tame and everywhere in evidence, and, except in the

Northern Territory, I have never seen so many Hawks of various

species. Strange to say, Diamond Sparrows and Redhead Finches were

quite absent, whereas there were plenty of Double-bars and Fire-

tail Finches. Following the dry river-course—residents assured me

that during wet seasons it will rise 20 to 30 feet—it seemed to us as if all

the birds in the district had come to live there as a kind of summer

holiday resort. It was a perfect Babel of noises, songs, and screeches :

in my many wanderings never have I seen such a congregation of birds

of various species as in this narrow valley; it shows what careful pro¬

tection will do. Near Sydney such an idyllic spot would be unthinkable,

since most parents seem to delight in the prowess of their children when

they destroy with their pea-rifles all that comes within reach. The

common Blue Wrens were absolutely innumerable : Wagtails, Scissor-

grinders, and Peewees were everywhere; so were the rowdy Soldier

Birds, White Eyebrowed Caterpillar-eaters, and others. On the

Town Common we often saw birds quite strangers to us, such as Black

Magpies with white under wings, and the Mutton Birds, one of the

proudest and stateliest birds I know, silver grey—a very light silver,

and a white throat, chest, and abdomen—twice the size of a Starling,



