Emu 



260 Hill, Field Notes on Birds of Kimherley, N .-W . Aust. [2,!^"}' 



adjacent mainland appear to closely resemble Parry Harbour as 

 regards flora and fauna, though both are more varied ; but the 

 geological formation is very different, being largely sandstone. 

 For scenic beauty there is nothing on the north-west coast to 

 compare with this locality, and, indeed, it would be difficult to 

 picture anything grander than the rugged coast-line at Hanover 

 Bay and the entrance to Prince Regent River. The precipitous, 

 table-topped hills, Mts. Trafalgar and Waterloo, are remarkable 

 -features of this country. Further south the coast again becomes 

 rocky, barren, and uninviting. Sea-birds are very scarce on the 

 entire length of this coast, and few species were seen. 



As most of my notes refer to the birds found between the eastern 

 shore of Napier Broome Bay and the Drysdale River, a fuller 

 description of this area may be given. A dense fringe of man- 

 groves forms the predominant feature of the coast-line ; however, 

 many little sandy bays and rocky points break the dark 

 green line, and add considerably to the beauty of an already 

 pleasing landscape. Birds are numerous in the mangroves, but, as 

 a rule, their nests are most difficult to find, owing to the density 

 of the vegetation. Bird-observing here is anything but a pleasure. 

 Soft mud, water, and a labyrinth of aerial roots make progress 

 slow and arduous, while the humid atmosphere, and the attacks 

 of countless thousands of mosquitoes and sand-flies, are almost 

 past endurance ; yet there is a strange fascination about the 

 mangrove fringe, with its peculiar birds, insects, and marine life. 

 In this bay there is a rise and fall in the tide of 8 feet, and at low 

 tide considerable areas of sand and mud are exposed, affording 

 rich feeding ground for several species of Waders. 



Travelling inland from the shore, sandy and slightly undulating 

 country is met with for two or three miles, in which occasional 

 outcrops of sandstone occur. Some of these outcrops are merely 

 isolated rocks, while others cover a considerable area and rise to 

 an altitude of 60 to 80 feet above the surrounding country. Most 

 of the sandy area is covered with a fairly heavy growth of 

 eucalypts and a smaller proportion of the other trees and shrubs, 

 such as Melaleuca leucadendron (in wet localities). Acacia doraf- 

 oxylon, A. iumida, Calycothrix microphylla, and C. laricina. 

 Some of the coastal localities ai'e timbered almost exclusively with 

 Grevillea, which, during flowering time, is alive with birds by 

 day and flying- foxes [Pteropus) by night. 



During the wet season grass grows luxuriantly, even on the 

 poorest soil, and one species — Sarga stipoidea, Ewart and White — 

 attains a height of from 10 to 14 feet. 



Tropical forest growth is confined to one area of about 2 acres 

 in extent, in which the principal flora is Melaleuca leucadendron, 

 and a number of strange trees, of which I collected specimens, but 

 have not yet been able to procure the botanical names. Many 

 pandanus trees also graced the scene. In this locality birds are 

 numerous, probably on account of the shelter from sun and wind 

 and the abundance of food and water. 



