Il8 White, North Australian Birds, [ 



Emu 

 5th Jan. 



justified by practical experience. The country examined was 

 poor in the extreme, fresh water extremely scarce, timber scanty, 

 and natives few but generally hostile. The distance sailed over 

 was about 2,500 miles — i.e., out from and back to Thursday 

 Island. 



After passing Batavia River, on the 2nd July, where Sulci leuco- 

 gaster, Sterna media, Sterna bergii, and Fregata ariel were noted, 

 a landing was effected on the 4th July at Pera Head, where a nest 

 of Haliaetus leucogaster, 70 feet up in a paper- bark {Melaleuca) 

 tree, was climbed to and found ready for eggs ; the nest, an 

 immense structure of sticks measuring 7 feet across by 6 feet in 

 depth, was lined with fresh green leaves. Bird-life was plentiful. 



The little Archer River was reached on the 6th, and a landing 

 made. Another nest of Pandion leucocephalus, at a height of 

 40 feet in a casuarina, was examined, but, although the bird was 

 flushed, no eggs were found. The river was ascended to a 

 distance of about three miles to large mangrove -covered islands, 

 where it was anticipated that breeding Egrets would be found. 

 The site, however, was occupied by a vast colony of flying foxes 

 [Pteropus), and the mangrove branches, by the weight of animals, 

 broken off in all directions. Not a single Heron was seen, not- 

 withstanding earlier in the year Mr. M'Lennan saw their nests 

 and birds approaching the breeding stage of plumage. On the 

 7th a trip was made up another channel of the river to a second 

 known Heronry ; it also was deserted. A nest of Ardea sumatrana 

 noted contained a full-fledged young one. The nest was situated 

 8 feet above high water mark, and composed of sticks ; dimensions, 

 2^ feet across by 9 inches in depth. Piezorhynchus wardelli and 

 Pcecilodryas ptilverulentus were noted, while several crocodiles 

 (usually erroneously called " alligators ") were seen on the 

 river-banks. 



On the loth the Kendall River (not shown on the chart) was 

 passed, the Mitchell reached on the 12th, and the Nassau on 

 the 14th. No fresh water was obtained from the 4th to the 

 i8th, when a windmill was sighted with joy near the shore, where 

 the Delta Station hands were erecting it at a shallow well. 

 Karumba, at the mouth of the Norman River, was reached on 

 the 19th, and mails obtained. Up to the present the voyage 

 had been in an almost due south direction down the west coast 

 of the Cape York Peninsula, the distance from Thursday Island 

 to Karumba being- about 500 miles, birds identified on the trip 

 being Sula leucogaster. Sterna media. Sterna bergii, Fregata ariel, 

 Antigone austral a siana, Anas superciliosc. Xcnorhynchus asiaticus. 

 Haliaetus leucogaster, Pandion leucocephalus. Haliastur sphoiurus. 

 Dacelo leachii. Halcyon macleayi, Gralluia picata, Rhipidura tricolor, 

 Pachycephala falcata, Ptilotis flava, Stigmatops ocularis, Glyciphila 

 fasciata, Myzomela obscura, M. erythrocephala, Melithreptus albi- 

 gularis, Hydroprogne caspia, Tadorna rufitergum, Pelecanus con- 

 spicillatus, Mgialitis ruficapilla, Hcematopus longirostris, Alcyone 

 pulchra, A. pusilla. Halcyon sanctus, Ardea sumatrana, Platalea 



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