THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



217 



that was leaving for Muloorina next 

 morning, to drive us as near Lake 

 Letty as possible. Rising at daybreak 

 next morning we reached the outskirts 

 of the town with our luggage, fully 

 expecting to see the camels harnessed 

 up waiting for us, as the driver had told 

 us that he would be making an early 

 start. But, owing to the absence of 

 feed, the camels had wandered to the 

 far end of the paddock, where he had 

 found them feeding on some coarse 

 herbage that was growing along the 

 sides of what was once a water hole. 

 As the " paddock " was fifteen miles 

 across, it is not to be wondered at that 

 it was almost four o'clock before we 

 moved oif. There were fourteen 

 camels in the team and they kept up 

 the one steady pace, three miles an 

 hour, with clockwork regularity, 

 whether it was over soft sand or over 

 the harder gibber country, where the 

 huge wheels of the waggon would not 

 sink in and so impede progress. 



By the time it was dark ^^'e had 

 arrived at a place called Box Hole, 

 where there are a few welcome trees 

 and here the night was spent. Leaving 

 the camel team next morning we set 

 out for Lake Letty, and, after a hard 

 morning's walk across soft sand, 

 arrived there to find bird life in ])ro- 

 fusion. 



Camping that night under the nmlga 

 trees that surroiaid the lake, we were 

 awakened at daybreak by the chat- 

 tering of thousands of birds and a knid 

 whistling, which would almost deafen 

 one. This was put down to the 

 Whistling Eagles, which were seen in 

 large numbers during our stay there. 

 After walking down to the water's edge 

 we watched and identified a number of 

 water birds ; Avocets, witli their long- 

 turned U]) bills were there in the largest 

 numbers, parading around in the shallow' 

 water, with the White-necked Herons, 

 and spoonbills intermingling with them 

 in their quest for food. Hoary-headed 

 Grebes were seen swimming lazily and 

 diving, whilst flocks of Black Ducks and 

 White-eyed Ducks would rise from the 

 water with a rush when startled, and, 

 after flying the length of the lake several 

 times, would alight once again. Over- 



On the way to Lake Letty. This is typical 

 of the sandy country travelled over. 



[I'hoto.^//. 0. Fletcher. 



head circled dozens of hawks and eagles 

 swooping and gliding, ever on the alert 

 for some ha])less small mammal which 

 might delay in the open too long. 

 Hundreds of skeletons and pelts bore 

 mute testimony to the large toll these 

 t)irds take of the rabbit. Pushing our 

 way through the overhanging trees and 

 entangling vines we would often startle 

 a hawk as he waited tirelessly on a low 

 bough with his beady eyes concen- 

 trated on the ground, knowing that 

 sooner or later his prey would pass 

 through on its way to drink. Crows 

 were there in thousands and used to 

 assemble on the trees surrounding our 

 camp, watching every movement we 

 made for hour after hour, until one of 

 the ])arty, resenting their sinister aspect, 

 would arise with a shout, and, picking 

 up the nearest object would hurl it with 

 all his strength at the black fiends, as 

 he called them. Although tem]iorarily 

 scared away, they would soon come 

 back and take up their old position, 

 once more awaiting their opportunity 

 to swoop down and gather a few of the 

 scraps that were lying about. 



Flying fron; one tree to another were 



