THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 157 
somnolent condition was proved by the fact that my resounding 
footsteps failed to disturb them. There was a fair amount of 
moonlight, though a little cloudy; all the better for them to see me 
if they had had their eyes open. Glancing upwards, I saw what 
they were, and silentiy retreated a few yards in order to get an 
effective rake through the tree. Discharging both barrels in rapid 
succession, I brought down several, What a commotion wag raised 
when I fired, ache fluttering, and screeching, one would have thought 
half the flock had been killed or wounded. Calculating that the 
escapes might possibly alight again, | waited patiently. After a 
few gyrations, they took a tall tree on a rise some 300 paces 
distant. ‘Their cries guided me to the rendezvous, but they were too 
much on the alert to enable me to gct a gcod shot. 
About three years ago when living at Mt. William, near 
Lancefield, I noticed a flock of cockatoos going to roost one evening, 
and took bearings so as to get at them when the right time came. 
When I sallied forth, the night was yery dark, with a drizzling 
rain, and I found it a very hard task to find their whereabouts, but, 
with the exercise of some perseverance, I eventually succeeded. The 
light was so bad that I could not distinguish whether they were 
birds or opossums. Consequently, I shot at random, with the 
result that when the birds flew out, L heard one fluttering in the 
branches. Next morning I visited the tree, when I was surprised 
to find two birds sitting in it. These before I got within range 
endeavoured to fly, coming to the ground at an anole of 25 degrees. 
On effecting their capture, I found both hurt 2 about the shoulder 
joints sufficiently to prevent acrial locomotion. Without doubt, 
those two birds knew fall well the moment they were struck with 
the shot that they had no chance of escape by flying. 
Many other birds display wonderful acnuteness in trying to pre- 
serve their lives, when ihe feel the cruel blow of the shot, more 
especially the aquatic section. [I remember shooting at a fine black 
duck, as he was swimming with some others on a large pool. 
Simultaneously with the “strike ~ of the shot he dived. He sought 
refuge in some reeds, and when I drove him out, I saw that I had 
br oken the pinion of one wing. This bird seemed to know intuitiv ely 
that future clipping the air with w hirring wings was not for him, or 
else he would have made the attempt en fired upon. 
I have casually mentioned Mount William. This range is the 
home of the ‘‘ Golboranarook,” the stone tomahawk of the aboriginals, 
and if anyone desirous of information visits the part about “the 
’ pinnacle,” he will find evidence of thousands of stone hatchets having 
been turned out in the rough. On one sharp ridge I found quite a 
heap of small splinters, which had been split off in giving the imple- 
ments their first rude shape. Onthe Old Man Plain in 1862, I 
