20 Barrett, Bird Life on Yanko Creek (N.S.IV.) [,J"jliy 



The trapper's outfit consisted of a waggon surmounted by a 

 large cage, divided into compartments, a jinker, nets, stakes, call 

 birds, and so forth. The laige vehicle was drawn by two horses. 

 Lea\dng Jerilderie early one morning, we travelled slowly northward 

 across the plains, and towards sundown entered a farm paddock, 

 where we outspanned for the night. The farmer welcomed us, and 

 said that the " Galahs were eating him out." In the evening, 

 nets and poles, bagging, and other articles were carried to a crop 

 paddock, and the trappers soon had everything ready for 

 operations next day. 



We were astir before sunrise, for only in the early morning can 

 trapping be carried on with a good chance of success. Each net 

 is controlled by a long rope, and the trapper, crouched behind a 

 screen of bagging against the fence, holds the free end, ready to 

 give a sharp pull at the right moment. Soon after the eastern 

 sky became flushed with rose-pink, the colour of the . Galah's 

 breast, small flocks of the birds came flying toward the paddock 

 from the trees along Yanko Creek. Gradually the size of the 

 flocks increased, till there were thousands of birds in sight. The 

 call birds, tethered to the nets, " spoke " to those in the air, and 

 presently a flock of about jo Galahs circled over the net I was 

 watching, and then alighted. The trapper pulled the rope, the 

 poles leaped together, and a babel of harsh cries arose. Eleven 

 birds had been caught, and they were quickly transferred to a box. 

 In the course of an hour the nets were sprung three times, and 

 the tally of captives was 87 ; this was not considered a par- 

 ticularly good result. The Cockatoos were transferred to the 

 big cage on the waggon, where they huddled on the long bamboo 

 perches. Sulky at first, they soon became resigned to their lot, 

 and ate and drank. In addition to netting the adult birds, the 

 trappers gather nestlings and rear them. 



We moved toward fresh fields before noon, and spent the night 

 at a farmhouse. One of the two ladies of the homestead was a 

 lover of wild birds, and had tamed several Galahs without caging 

 them. All day, she said, these birds were away with the flocks, 

 but toward sunset they returned to the homestead, where they 

 remained during the night. I was lucky enough to see three of 

 these tame wild birds early in the morning, and secured photo- 

 graphs of them on their favourite perch. The trappers, who 

 had been at work before I awoke, reported an albino Galah, which 

 they failed to capture. Max Egger, from a nest in the Jerilderie 

 district, each season for three years in succession took two albino 

 fledgelings, and reared them all. He had one in his aviary, which 

 I photographed. 



Several nests of the "Blue-bonnet" {Psephotiis xanthorrhous) 

 were found in hollows of gum-trees in a paddock near the farm- 

 house. One nest was right on the ground, within a hollow trimk, 

 the entrance hole being some 12 feet above. On another farm 

 we were introduced to a young Australian Crane or Native 

 Companion {Antigone australasiana), which the children had 



