MARCH 79 



people would have passed right by without seeing them, but 

 the bush lover's eye is quick to detect, and we enjoyed the 

 quaint sight before us. These birds, by the way, do not utter 

 the "more-pork" sound popularly ascribed to them, but which 

 really belongs to the boobook owl. 



Further on, where the slope drops down to the creek, we 

 roused a family of quail. The little ones, half-grown, scuttled 

 quickly to cover, and immediately became invisible, but the 

 parents kept on ahead of us, running with lifted heads and a 

 funny tip-toe effect. We followed them for some yards, keep- 

 ing them easily in sight ; then, when they thought we were safe- 

 ly out of reach of their chicks, they disappeared in the bushes 

 and doubled back. 



There were very few flowers to be seen ; a stray blossom of 

 pultenaea, or grevillea, remained here and there to tell of van- 

 ished glory, but the only plants really in full flower were a pale 

 creamy wattle and a tea-tree, which raised long spikes of 

 blossom from its dull green leaves. The wattle was drenched 

 with dew, but a slight shake sent the drops scattering, and shed 

 a nutty sweetness on the air. 



It is the resting time in the bush ; the time when birds and 

 flowers and insects, having all produced their share of life and 

 beauty, rest for a while before beginning once again the joyful 

 task allotted them bv Mother Nature. 



