Vol. XIII, 



1913 



] White, Field Ornithology in South Australia, 



17- 



course, and travelling down the Gulf. My reason in taking this 

 route was owing to a wish to visit Mount Whyalla, which is the 

 southernmost outpost of the Gawler Ranges. On this mount 

 a bushman told me he had seen the Night-Parrot ; another thing, 

 I wished to continue through the new country round Lake Gillies. 

 Having passed through a most peculiar gap in the ranges, which 

 can be seen for many miles before it is reached, called Lincoln 

 Gap, we made our first camp. Up to this we had travelled 



Sketch Map of South AustraUa. 



through a veritable flower-garden. Rain having fallen some 

 little time before, all the country was bright with wild-flowers 

 and green with herbage. We thought all this boded well for the 

 future, and that we had visited the country at the right time. 

 We were, however, to meet too soon with disappointment, for 

 the further we went south the drier it became. On the second 

 day we entered the district visited by my late father when he 

 undertook the dangerous task of crossing the Gulf in a very frail 

 boat, with a makeshift sail formed out of a blanket ; this was in 

 1866 or 1867. See Gould's " Birds of Australia," Supplement, iv., 



