[S Macgillivray, The Region of the Barrier Range. [^J 



Emu 

 July 



a gum-tree respectively. The broods were reared earlier in the 

 season. These birds sometimes nest in the late winter months. 

 I have taken fledged young in July, and again autumn rain 

 often results in eggs being laid in April and May. A Bronze- 

 wing {PJiaps chalcoptera) rose from the ground, where it had 

 been feeding, and went clattering through the trees. The two 

 next hollows examined contained well-feathered young of the 

 Mallee Parrakeet {Barnardiiis barnardi). These Parrakeets are 

 early spring breeders, and throughout our trip most of the 

 nesting hollows examined contained young. In a hollow of 

 another tree, at a height of 15 feet, were found three fresh eggs 

 of the Galah, resting on a leafy bed. Next two half-grown 

 Mallee Parrakeets and a rotten Q.gg in a hollow, at a height of 

 30 feet. A female of the same species sitting on two incubating 

 eggs had to be removed before they were revealed ; this hollow 

 was only 6 feet from the ground. A little further on a Galah 

 was sitting on four hard-set eggs in a hollow at a height of 

 20 feet from the ground. M'Lennan climbed to a Short-billed 

 Crow's {Corvus bennetti) nest at a height of 40 feet up in 

 one of the gums, and took five fresh eggs. This is an 

 average clutch, although six and even seven eggs are some- 

 times laid. The birds lay early — namely, in August — so that 

 nearly all of the nests examined by our party contained young 

 birds or heavily incubated eggs. Not many Crows nest along 

 the creek, as they mostly prefer the mulga on the hills, the 

 leopard trees {Flindersia Diaculosd), or larger neelia {Acacia 

 rigens) in the flat scrub. A tree from which a good outlook 

 can be obtained is generally selected. They are wary birds, 

 flying from the nest before one can closely approach it. The 

 call is very distinct from that of the Raven {Corone australis), 

 being a harsher and shorter " Gahr." 



A few yards more tramping along the sandy bed brought 

 us to the nest of a Little Eagle {Nisactus niorphnoides), situate 

 in a gum-tree. The nest had been partly blown out of position 

 by a storm, and built up again to a height of 2 feet. The leaf- 

 lined cavity contained a pair of fresh eggs. From this point 

 onwards for about 2 miles the effects of a terrific storm of wind 

 and hail which had crossed the creek about three weeks 

 previously were manifest. Many trees were torn to pieces, 

 only trunk and main limbs remaining, and nearly all had lost a 

 number of their branches ; many large limbs were found fully 

 100 yards from where they had been broken off". The bark on 

 the western sides of the trunks and limbs bore evidence of the 

 size and velocity of the hailstones, being bruised, pitted, and 

 scarred to a remarkable extent. We could not help noticing 

 the scarcity of birds along this portion of the creek. No doubt 

 these wind-storms do much good to the trees by pruning off" the 

 dead and decaying branches and cleaning the limbs of hanging 



