250 THE PORT DARWIN DISTRICT 



just that of the quail, and they are so shy that it is with 

 difficulty the sportsman can get within shot of them. 

 They generally rise at a hundred yards, or at a greater 

 distance if the gunner is accompanied by a dog ; and as 

 they take wing they utter a curious cry quite unlike that 

 of any other pigeon or dove. Grass seeds form the bulk 

 of their food ; but I have seen them eating the thick 

 fleshy leaves of a dock-like weed which covers some of the 

 sandy patches on the highest ground. The doves avoid 

 marshy or wet ground, and often may be seen squatting 

 close to rocks which are quite hot in the blaze of the 

 noon sun. Generally the bird has none of the usual 

 habits of the pigeon genus. On account of the difficulty 

 of approaching them, they afford good sport to the gunner, 

 but they are very dry and indifferent eating as food. 



A shallow stream which ran near the foot of the 

 highest hill was covered with water-lilies ; and I have 

 seen these flowers in many other places in this district. 

 The most attractive of other blossoms at this spot was a 

 creeping plant bearing a small but very pretty scarlet 

 blossom. All the flowers, which were numerous in kind, 

 were small in size, the lilies excepted. 



A marshy spot, which I suppose was the head of the 

 stream, was thickly covered a mile wide with tall reeds ; 

 and similar reeds are found on the banks of all the waters, 

 running and still, in this region. The marsh was the 

 haunt of thousands of ducks of two kinds — a large darkly- 

 coloured species, in which browns and deep greens were 

 the prevailing colours of the plumage, and a small kind 

 of a light grey colour. Owing to the denseness of the 

 reeds, among which I could force myself but a very short 

 distance, I could not study the habits of the birds, which 

 I scarcely saw except on the wing ; but many species of 

 water-fowl found a home here, amongst others a large 

 chestnut-brown ibis {Falcinelltis ignens) ; another ibis, 

 white with a black neck {Ibis strictipennis, I think) ; and 

 several Rallidce ; also a small flock of the beautiful white 

 egret (Ardea garzettd). The last named bird is not common 

 in any part of Australia ; but I have seen a few of these 





