82 Howe and Tregellas, Rarer Birds of the Mallee. [isf"oct. 



different. Bell-Magpies, White- winged Choughs, Ravens, and 

 Black-backed Magpies were calling everywhere. A Nankeen 

 Kestrel and a Striped Brown Hawk were flushed from nests high 

 up in the belahs (Casuarinas). A small Grey Falcon was seen. 

 We were particularly anxious to secure this bird, as it is supposed 

 by us to be a new species. Three times we have seen it in the 

 Mallee, and Mr. M'Lennan (" Mallee-Bird ") took a clutch of three 

 eggs (now in Dr. Charles Ryan's collection) a few years ago. This 

 bird is about the size of a Cuckoo-Shrike, and of the same colour. 

 The eggs are supposed to be not larger than those of a Kestrel, 

 and blue-white in colour. In the pines we saw the Red-capped 

 Robin, Petroica goodenovii (Whiteornis g. goodenovii), and Rufous- 

 breasted Whistler, Pachycephala rufiventris {Lewinornis ru/iventris 

 inornatus) for the first time. In the turpentine many Black- 

 backed Wren-Warblers, Red-rumped and Chestnut-rumped Tit- 

 Warblers were observed, also Scrub-Robins and Ground-Birds. 

 We watched a family of Black-capped Tree-runners, Neositta 

 pileata {Neosittella pileata tenuirostris), as they worked down and 

 under the branches of the pines in search of food. Mr. Scarce 

 estimated that the pines covered about 300 acres, and in the 

 centre we found some huge patches of stone, similar to granite. 

 Most of the larger flat pieces had evidently been hollowed by 

 natives long ago, so that they would hold water. About these 

 stones bird-life was very abundant. Leaving the pines, on the 

 return to camp, we spent an hour or more in the whipstick scrub. 

 When the scrub was left behind the sun was low in the west, and 

 we had 6 miles to walk in darkness. Twice we flushed a Spotted 

 Nightjar from small limestone ridges, but the birds were apparently 

 not nesting. Camp was reached just as our mates were arranging 

 to light a fire on the big sand-hill to guide us home. We must 

 have travelled at least 17 miles, and were thoroughly tired out. 



A beautiful morning, with a heavy white frost, on 27th Sep- 

 tember. The ice was an inch thick on water in the bucket. We 

 were tired, and after breakfast just strolled about the scrub close 

 to camp and along the limestone ridges in search of Spotted 

 Nightjars. During the morning we flushed birds in five places — 

 once a pair l5nng close together — in all, six birds. (Mr. Scarce 

 subsequently brought one of us — Mr. Howe — an egg, nearly 

 incubated, taken on 12th October. It was Ij^ng on a limestone 

 ridge, close to a large, dead stick. Mr. Kennedy, who found it, 

 had literally to push the bird with the barrel of his gun before 

 she would fly.) A nest of the Black-faced Cuckoo-Shrike, 

 Graucalus melanops {Coracina novcB-hollandicB melanops), con- 

 taining three fresh eggs, was found, built on the horizontal bough 

 of a smafl mallee tree. A nest of the White-shouldered Cater- 

 pillar-eater {Campephaga hnmeralis) contained young birds. In 

 the afternoon Mr. Scarce took us out to a few mounds of the 

 Mallee-Fowl that we had seen before, and six eggs were taken 

 from them. This was our last day in camp, and, after tea, every- 

 thing was packed up. 



