Vol. XIV. i iiQ-^-E, A-ND Treg-ellas, Rarer Birds of the Mallee-. 83 



1914 J ^ 



We left camp on the morning of 28th September. After an 

 early breakfast, all the "boys" were assembled to see us off. 

 A photograph of the party in front of om" tent was taken, and 

 then we said good-bye. Our luggage was to go by bullock 

 waggon to Lingerandye Bore, where we were to meet Mr. Ribbons, 

 who would drive us to his farm at Carina. As the bullocks went 

 across the plain and on to the road south, we struck into the 

 scrub, intending to walk through and collect on the way. We 

 visited a large mound of the Mallee-Fowl. Before the mound 

 was opened, Mr. Scarce asked us to take particular notice that 

 each egg would not be standing up perfectly straight, but would 

 have a leaning toward the top-centre of the egg-chamber. He 

 added that they were always placed thus by the birds. He 

 was correct. He told us many interesting facts concerning 

 the birds. On one occasion he saw a young bird scrape 

 its way to the surface. As soon as it reached the air it gasped. 

 Mr. Scarce immediately covered it again with sand taken from the 

 top of the mound, and in a few minutes the bird was suffocated. 

 Another mound opened contained four eggs. Mr. Scarce put the 

 compass on it, and, drawing a plan on a piece of paper, he marked 

 the eggs and shifted them into different positions. Some were 

 placed wrong end up and leaning toward the wall of the egg- 

 chamber. The mound was then filled in and the observer retired. 

 Three hours later he again opened it, and, putting his plan 

 in the proper direction, he found that, not only had the bird 

 placed the eggs right end up, but had put them back into the 

 identical positions in which they were found originally. 



After crossing a sand-ridge covered with tall porcupine grass, 

 we again met with Grass-Wrens and Emu-Wrens, and, in the 

 gully, a Bell-Magpie was flushed from a nest placed in the top- 

 most branches of a fair-sized malice tree ; it contained two eggs. 

 We found two nests of the Black-eared Miner, ready for eggs. 

 As we neared our old camp we visited Tea-tree Flat, where we 

 had left nests of the Purple-gaped Honey-eater. One nest con- 

 tained an egg on 22nd September. As we approached the bird 

 was flushed, but there was still only one egg in the nest. Another 

 nest, nearer our camp, was examined ; the bird allowed us to 

 approach to within a few feet before leaving. This nest contained 

 two fresh eggs. We had lunch at the bore, where Mr. Ribbons's 

 son awaited us, and while we were eating a fox stole out of the 

 scrub and up to the water, not more than 20 yards away. It 

 quietly trotted up and drank, and, after surveying us for a 

 moment, as quietly stole away. Its pace, however, was quickened 

 by the discharge of a small dust-shot cartridge. Just before 

 leaving Lingerandye we witnessed a fight between two stump- 

 tailed lizards {Trachydosaurus rugosus). We arrived at the home- 

 stead hungry after a long drive, and enjoyed a good meal and a 

 most refreshing sleep. 



On 29th September we spent a few hours searching the bush 

 around the homestead, and found a nest of the Bell-Magpie ; it 



