A i!'?-'l O'Donohue, Wanderings on the Murray Flood-Plain. y 



WANDERINGS ON THE MURRAY FLOOD-PLAIN. 

 By J. G. O'Donohue. 



(Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria ,Slh Feb., 191 5.) 



At ruATED by the belief that many of the birds and animals 

 of the Mallee, that had not as yet adapted themselves to life 

 in an arid region, would he compelled, by reason of the 

 abnormally dry season, to resort to the Murray, or to those 

 lakes on its flood-plain affording a permanent water supply, 

 Mr. A. \V. Milligan, Mr. (). Rosenhain, and myself determined 

 to visit Mildura and make inquiries there relative to the 

 conditions prevailing at two places we had selected, in its 

 neighbourhood, as being the most likely, from their situation, 

 to contribute to the assemblage of faunal and avi-faunal types 

 under stress of an unfavourable season in their usual habitat. 

 These were Taupalin. on the New South Wales side of the 

 Murray, and Lake Mournpoul, on the Victorian side. 



Accordingly, we left Melbourne by the 4.15 express on 

 Friday evening, 4th September, and, after a long and tiresome 

 journey of 351 miles, reached Mildura the following morning 

 at 7.20. 



We were soon apprised that Lake Mournpoul, about 60 miles 

 due south of Mildura, and situate on the flood-plain of the 

 Murray, was deemed the most likely to possess the essentials 

 we sought — viz.. a large area of permanent water bordering 

 an extensive tract of arid country, and affording in its vicinity 

 sustenance lor bird and animal. 



Proceedings were at once instituted to effect an early start 

 lor the lake on Monday, 7th September, and these being ex- 

 peditiously and satisfactorily completed, the remainder of the 

 forenoon was spent visiting the principal places of interest in 

 tbc town, under the guidance of the ex-presiden1 of the shire, 

 Mr. Whitford, and the local stock inspector, Mi - . M'Leod. 

 Ann lunch Mr. Rosenhain elected to accompany the latter on 

 a sixteen-mile drive he purposed making before supper, whilst 

 Mr. Milligan and 1 wandered off along unknown streets and 

 avenues noting the birds and flowers. 



The principal and unquestionably the finesl flowering shrub 

 met with in our iambic was Cassia S/i/rtii. It occurred in more 

 or less abundance on many of the thoroughfares we traversed, 

 .md was invariably found in the height of perfection. Several 

 ol the fruit-growers with whom we conversed respecting it 

 maintained that the Dense Cassia flowers best after a drought, 

 but in only one instance was an attempl made to assign the 

 reason why. The cause is undoubtedly due to the fad that 

 during a dry season, when grass is scarce, stink eat the plant 

 almost to the roots, .md when a favourable spring ensues, with 



