Vol. VI 

 1909 



^'•] Whitlock, Birds on the Pilbarra Goldfield. 175 



the Coongan. Here the Parrot family was much in evidence. 

 Barnardins occidentalism Melopsittacus tmdulatus, Cacatua gym- 

 nopis, and Calopsittacus novcB-Jiollandics v^ere not uncommon. 

 Prior to our arrival here I found my first nest, though it was 

 totally out of season. I, with a companion, had struck across a 

 big spinifex flat to a bush hotel visible some miles away, as we 

 were running short of several necessaries. I had the good luck 

 to flush a female Enibleina picta from her nest in a huge clump 

 of " buck " spinifex. It contained a clutch of perfectly fresh 

 eggs. 



On leaving the Coongan camp we soon entered the hilly country 

 proper. At Doolina Gorge the cliffs Vi-ere very precipitous, and, 

 as I found later on, were a favourite haunt of Artamus minor 

 and other rock-loving species. At our next camp I secured 

 another specimen of the puzzling Ptilotis, and observed Emblevia 

 picta collecting vegetable down for nest-building. It seems 

 probable that nests of this species may be looked for at almost 

 any period of the year, provided water is obtainable. 



I was now within easy reach of my destination, and two days 

 later arrived there, joining my friend at his camp, some 4 miles 

 from the township, the following day. 



The country around Marble Bar may be roughly described as 

 a series of precipitous and rocky ranges, much intersected by 

 deep, stony creeks, for the most part with only a scant growth of 

 scrub, and more rarely timbered with dwarf gums and casuarinas 

 in addition. But to the south and south-east of the township a 

 vast spinifex flat extends almost as far as the eye can reach. This 

 is intersected by one main creek, with permanent waterholes, 

 thickets of scrub, and, where not cut down for mining timber, 

 fair-sized eucalypts. On the flat itself are occasional gums or 

 other trees, more or less stunted, but for all that resorted to by 

 various species for breeding purposes. In addition, the main 

 Coongan River, fed by innumerable side creeks and more 

 important tributaries, flows (in rainy seasons) through a deep 

 and rocky valley of its own. The bed of the river varies from a 

 few yards to half a mile in width. Where it is widest there 

 will be found the most and largest timber, whilst the innumer- 

 able bars and sand-banks are clothed with low scrub or thickets 

 of cajaput, the whole much encumbered by debris brought down 

 by floods. 



When it rains in the north-v;est of this State it rains in 

 earnest, and I was soon to experience a downpour of over 31^ 

 inches, which fell in the course of a few hours, converting every 

 little gully into a stream and the larger gullies into veritable 

 mountain torrents. During the whole time of my bird-observing 

 on the Coongan the upper reaches contained running water. 

 The season was thus a favourable one for breeding purposes, 

 though bird-life was, in consequence of the abundance of water, 



