ZyA Whitlock, Birds on the Pilbarra Goldfield. fist^April 



isolated and conical formations of hcEmatite. At the foot of the 

 nearest hill we camped. There was a small creek there, and 

 water was easily obtained by digo^ing in the sand. Along the 

 creek were a few gums and a little scrub. Here I first met with 

 Ptilotis cartcri, Geopelia cuneata, Grallina picata, Rhipidtira 

 tricolor, and one or two others. Next morning the Ravens were 

 around as usual, and as soon as the drivers were away seeking 

 the camels they got into mischief, and I had to leave my 

 ornithologizing to go and drive them from the bags of flour, 

 which they were busily picking holes into to get at the contents. 

 Resuming our journey, the country became very rocky and arid 

 — red, water-worn, granitic hills, with little or no vegetation 

 except at the creeks, and reminding one of the peninsula of 

 Sinai when viewed from a steamer in the Red Sea. Later on 

 things improved a little, the granite hills giving way to a sandy 

 plateau of vast extent, and intersected at regular intervals by 

 deep creeks, more or less timbered. At the creeks where pools 

 or soaks were to be found there was Ptilotis cartcri, as full of 

 vivacity and song as in its most favourite haunts. On the plains 

 were a {q.^^ Artamus venustus, and an occasional Malurus leucop- 

 terus ox Anthus australis \ and, when not too far away from 

 water, a small flock of Tceniopygia castanotis sometimes flitted by. 



At the Strelley River crossing was a large permanent pool, 

 and here, in addition to the previously mentioned species, I 

 noticed Nisa'etus morpJinoides, Hieracidea, Cerchneis, Dacdo 

 cervina, ^gialitis melanops, and other of the Limicolce not recog- 

 nized. It was here, too, that I made acquaintance with the 

 curious Partridge-Pigeon {LopJwphaps ferrugined). I shot a pair 

 as they stood sentinel-like on the top of a convenient block of 

 granite. Just before leaving this camp I detected amongst the 

 numerous Ptilotis carteri a stranger to me, and after some 

 difficulty I shot it. It was a Ptilotis. somewhat resembling P. 

 cratitia. I subsequently learnt it was P. kmrtlandi. 



At Depot Creek I secured my first MelitJireptus Icetior, and 

 an example of CJialcococcyx basalis. But though things were 

 improving it was not until the Shaw River was reached that 

 bird-life became really plentiful. Here I first encountered 

 Chmacteris nielanura, Pomatorliinus rubeculus (four or five old 

 nests of the latter being noticeable in a young gum-tree), 

 Bamardius zonarius,^ numerous PetrocJielidon nigricans^ and 

 other common birds. 



Gorge Creek was the next most interesting camp. Here I 

 first encountered Artamus minor, Graiicalns melanops, and the 

 lovely little Painted Finch {Emblema picta). 



At the Coongan crossing, some 20 miles ahead, the latter 

 river was very wide, the track almost touching the mouth of the 

 Taiga, itself over a quarter of a mile wide at its junction with 



* } B. occidentalis. — Eds. 



