42 Keartland, Zoology of Great Desert, N.W. Aust. [^X'^xk. 



immense bunch of seed at its apex, which was easily snapped 

 off by giving the tree a sharp shake. This operation was not 

 unaccompanied with danger, as some of the bunches weighed 

 over a quarter of a hundredweight ; and as the camels were 

 eager to feast on what they appeared to regard as a luxury, 

 we had to keep out of their way as well. The leaves of this 

 tree tasted very much like those of the Nasturtium. A dry 

 tree of this species was so light, although 20 feet long and 

 two inches in diameter at the base, that it could be grasped at 

 the end and held out horizontally at arm's length. Another 

 remarkable tree was a species of acacia, which grew on a wide 

 flat. The trees were about 10 feet apart, and, although many 

 of them were 25 or 30 feet high, I did not see one over i-| inches 

 in diameter at the base, and when a section 4 feet long was 

 cut, and the ends bent together in the form of a hoop, it was 

 found that there was only a very slight difference in the 

 thickness of the ends. The few sprays of leaves on the upper 

 part of the tree, which constituted its foliage, could be com- 

 pressed into a tin pannikin. This is the tree which furnishes 

 the natives with their best spear-shafts, to obtain which they 

 make long journeys in the winter. Occasionally large timber 

 is seen, but most of it is hollow, owing to lack of moisture. On 

 one occasion I was anxious to obtain a piece of hard wood 

 3 inches x i inch in thickness and 15 inches long, and, although 

 I used the axe on large and small trees in all my spare time, 

 it was a week before I was successful. Branches no thicker 

 than a finger were hollow like a piece of piping. Out of one 

 tree-trunk, 17 inches in circumference, we took a brood of 

 four young Rose-breasted Cockatoos by simply tearing an 

 opening with our hands. But I must now speak of the zoology 

 of this country. When I say that it was 737 miles from the 

 last creek (Brookman Creek) where we found water — at which 

 there were Black Duck, Teal, White-eyed and Pink-eared 

 Ducks, Maned Geese, Black-tailed Tribonyx, White-fronted, 

 Pacific, and Nankeen Night-Herons— till we reached the Fitzroy 

 River, you will understand that bird-hfe was scarce in parts. 



When we first entered the sand-hill country we saw several Emu 

 nests, in some of which the eggs had been hatched, but there 

 were 'others in which the broken sheUs showed that the dingo 

 or Black-breasted Buzzard had been at work. The dingoes 

 made a hole in the side or end of the eg^, and licked out the 

 contents ; but where the buzzard had been at work the shells 

 were broken as if struck by a stone, and in two cases a stone 

 over I lb. in weight was found amongst the broken shells. 

 Bustards were fairly common, and Southern Stone-Plover were 

 disturbed from the shade of the bushes. Of course, at this 

 time we were within flying distance of water, as the presence 



