1 8 Barrett, Bird Life on Yanko Creek {N.S.W.) [„f"ju,y 



grey columns from the water. We camped in a pleasant spot, 

 where the ashes of old fires told of former camps enioyed by my 

 friend and others. On the morrow, a voyage among the dead 

 gums in a " flattie " took us to the nests of Ducks, Cockatoos, 

 and Parrots. Thousands of Rose-breasted Cockatoos {Cacatua 

 roseicapilla) were breeding in the hollows, and the clamour made 

 by the birds when they returned from the feeding grounds was 

 deafening. But their harsh cries were forgiven, because of 

 the birds' beauty. Wheeling above the trees, the noisy flocks 

 presented a picture that will not soon fade from memory. Rose- 

 pink and silver-grey in the early sunlight glowed and gleamed 

 alternately against a pale blue sky. The nestlings offered a harsh 

 contrast to their parents ; they are grotesque and querulous 

 creatures, at the very antipodes of grace and beauty. Taken from 

 a hollow, two infant Galahs protested \ngorously, and, when placed 

 on a stump, menaced each other as well as the photographer. 

 Placing my bare hand and arm deep into a Galah's nesting hollow, 

 I wondered how the young birds could stand the high temperature 

 during the blazing November days. One would hardly be sur- 

 piised to find their flesh baked brown ; but the heat really agrees 

 with them. There were hollows in every tree, which in the great 

 majority of cases were occupied by Galahs. In one tree we noted 

 seven nests, and many each had three or four. 



Several pairs of Cockatoo-Parrots [Calopsitta novcB-hollandice) 

 were nesting in hollow limbs of dead trees in the creek. One nest 

 contained young birds, and we watched them at dinner. The 

 parent birds shared the duty of feeding the brood. Flying to the 

 end of the broken branch, the male was greeted by gaping beaks, 

 and into these, in turn, he regurgitated food. Then he flew 

 away, and presently the female appeared, and the process was 

 repeated. Unfortunately, a camera could not be used, as the 

 nursery was in a slender bough, about 30 feet above the water. 

 Later, a more accessible nest was discovered, and photographs 

 of young Cockatoo-Parrots were secured. 



Continuing our voyage in the flattie, we next examined the 

 nest of a pair of Yellow Parrots {Platycercus flaveolus) in a deep 

 hollow. The tree trunk was hard and smooth, and to climb to 

 the nest I was compelled to chop steps in the tough wood ; even 

 then I had a fall into the boat, and barked my shins severely, 

 before the object was attained. The nest contained four fairly 

 fresh eggs. My companion remarked that the Yellow Parrot 

 was becoming rare in the district, but in the course of the day 

 two other nests were found. 



In a shallow knot-hole on a huge bent limb a pair of White- 

 rumped Wood-Swallows {A. leucogaster) had a nest, which seemed 

 beyond our reach. But my companion, after a stiff climb, and 

 at the risk of a ducking, secured the three nestlings, and we took 

 them ashore. They were just able to fly, and gave much trouble 

 to the photographer. One bird, in fact, flew into a tree, where 

 it was welcomed by the parents. Then the old birds continued 



