EYRE'S PENINSULA 129 



birds, the Frogmouth crouches along it, with the head 

 stretched rigidly in line with the body. It is easy 

 to mistake one, when in this characteristic attitude, 

 for a portion of the bough on which it is resting. 

 The birds appear to know that, while they remain 

 still, they are likely to escape notice, and allow one to 

 pass right beneath them without moving themselves. 

 The nest of the Frogmouth is a frail platform of twigs, 

 built in a fork, or at the end of a broken bough. Two 

 eggs form the clutch. The Frogmouth is popularly 

 known as the "Mopoke," owing to the widespread 

 belief that it utters the weird call, "more pork," heard 

 so frequently in the Bush on still nights. The Boobook 

 Owl [Ninox boobook], I think, is the true "Mopoke," 

 though the Frogmouth also has a "more pork" call. 

 This is one of the vexed questions of Australian 

 ornithology, which has been debated scores of times. 



Rambling through the scrub, we saw many 

 Termites' mounds, miniature pyramids, which teemed 

 with industrious insects. In the tropical North 

 "white ants" build enormous nests, but none of the 

 mounds seen on Eyre's Peninsula was above a few 

 feet in height. Termites may interest the naturalist, 

 but they are detested by people who live in districts 

 where they abound. Fence posts, telegraph poles, 

 and the woodwork of houses are attacked by the 

 pests, whose industry sometimes causes structures to 

 collapse. I camped once in a wooden cottage, the 

 walls of which were crumbling as a result of in- 

 vasion by Termites. In Victoria "white ants" 

 generally select a hollow tree or stump, and build 

 therein their termitarium of clay. 



None of us is likely to forget the mosquitoes of 

 Warunda. The terrible insects attacked in millions, 

 and war against them was useless. During the day 

 their attentions were endurable, but after dark they 

 became so fierce and persistent that luckless persons 

 without nets had little peace. Smoke from the camp 



