124 IN AUSTRALIAN WILDS 



The wind was asleep, and the cool, starlit silence was 

 soothing after the long day's work. Through the 

 trees the camp lights glimmered for awhile, then, one 

 by one, they disappeared. But a dying fire in the 

 avenue guided us back to the tents. Reveille sounded 

 at six o'clock next morning, and we tumbled out of 

 warm blankets into the crisp air, rubbing sleep from 

 our eyes. Cook was already busy at the camp fire, 

 and another early riser, towel over shoulder, was 

 hastening to the creek. The sun was smiling, and 

 a thousand birds were singing in the dawn: a morn- 

 ing to raise a pessimist's spirits, and cause ordinary 

 cheerful folk to bubble over with happiness. Break- 

 fast over, we divided into small parties, and started 

 to explore the neighbourhood. Botanists, laden with 

 cameras, press-books and vasculums, went towards 

 the flowery region, accompanied by an entomologist; 

 bird-lovers went east and west, deep into the scrub. 

 All returned to camp, well pleased, at noon. 



Close to the camp nests of the Many-coloured 

 Parrot [Psephotus multicolor] and the Yellow-banded 

 or Port Lincoln Parrot [Barnardius zonarius~] were 

 found, in hollow limbs of gum trees. The former species 

 wears a brilliant livery of scarlet, yellow, blue and 

 green. The Port Lincoln Parrot, green and yellow, 

 with black head and a broad yellow collar round the 

 nape, is a popular cage bird, and consequently is de- 

 creasing in numbers. Thousands have been cap- 

 tured in the Port Lincoln District and sent to Ade- 

 laide. The Blue-bellied Lorikeet [Trichoglossus 

 swainsoni] was the common parrot at Warunda. The 

 birds were constantly seen and heard, and many nests 

 were discovered in the Sugar Gums, which provided 

 innumerable cosy hollows. There was no housing 

 problem here; each pair of happy birds could go into 

 residence without trouble. The Lorikeets formed a 

 noisy community; from dawn till dusk they chattered 

 and screeched, and, though we admired their beauty, 



