684 Mr. T. Carter on some [Ibis^ 



twenty miles farther north, and the water was about fifteen 

 feet down a narrow fissure in solid rock. The horses drank 

 it, but it was too brackish for us ; and we had to drive four 

 miles down the flat every day. tie up the horses with the 

 buggy, and climb about three hundred feet up the ranges to 

 a rock hole, or " soak,^' on the bare rocky surface, where 

 we filled the water-bag, bucket, and all available utensils 

 that would hold water to take back to the camp. It was a 

 most interesting sight at this tiny water-hole to see scores of 

 Emhlema picta, Lophophaps ferruginea, Ptilotis keartlandi, 

 and other species assuaging their thirst. As I obtained a 

 specimen of Ei^emiornis carteri near our camp, we remained 

 a few days, but saw no more. The bird was a breeding male, 

 feeding in the large bunches, sometimes breast high, of 

 Spinifex, which is their favourite haunt. Proceeding north 

 again, we camped for three days while I " worked " some 

 large mangrove swamps, which had given good results in 

 former years, but htdd very few birds on this occasion. On 

 5 August I reached my '^ farthest north ^' point at a sheep 

 station not far from Vlaming Head and the North-West Cape, 

 where I was most hospitably received by Mr. A. Campbell, 

 and stayed a few days. This is where I shot a Chlamydera 

 maculata with a 4.50' Colt's revolver in 1892, and after- 

 wards had seen none of these fine birds; but in company 

 with my host I was al)le to obtain some further specimens, 

 as will be described later in this {)aper. As my time-limit 

 for the hired buggy would not allow me to round the North- 

 West Cape and revisit the Exmouth Gulf country, as I had 

 hoped to do, I reluctantly turned south on 10 August, and 

 camped again at the place where I had shot the Eremiornis. 

 A native and I carefully searched some large patches of 

 Spinifex for two days, but failed to find a nest. I then 

 drove alone back to Maudes Landing, where I was fortunate 

 in meeting an old squatter friend, Mr. Guy McLeod, who 

 was driving a mob of three thousand sheep to his Minilya 

 Station, and gave me permission to travel with him, the 

 large waggon drawn by fourteen camels, with calico yard 

 for sheep, and water-tank, food, etc., for the drovers, easily 



