3io



Mr. D. Seth-Smith,



bridge were large flocks of wild duck ( Anas superciliosa), Cor¬

morants ( Phalacrocorax carbo and P. hypoleucus ) were numerous,

while here and there on the surface of the water the large body

of a Pelican {Pelecanus conspicillatus) could be seen. Black Swans,

from which the river takes its name, are still much in evidence,

several pinioned birds are kept here and these attract the wild

ones which are sometimes quite numerous. Silver Gulls (. Larus

novcB-hollandicB ) were very common up the river, and we noted two

or three specimens of the Caspian Tern ( Hydroprogne caspia ).


We drove through the King’s Park which is of considerable

size and, for the most part left absolutely wild, and therefore, one

would imagine, particularly attractive to birds, but strangely

enough, with the exception of a few Piping Crows and one or

two stray examples of Zosterops gouldi and Acanthiza chrysorrhoa

we saw absolutely nothing, in fact the lack of bird-life in this

■district was truly extraordinary and most disappointing.


At the entrance to the King’s Park there is a celebrated

avenue of cultivated eucalyptus trees which, at the time of my

visit, were mostly flowering well, though I was informed that

they were not nearly so fine as they had been the year before.

'The flowers vary in shade from white to the most brilliant scarlet

and are extremely beautiful.


A TRIP TO THE GOLDFIEEDS.


I was told that the thing for every visitor to W. A. to do

was to pay a visit to the goldfields at Kalgoorlie, which is situated

some four hundred miles inland from Perth. I asked what there

was to be got there in the way of live animals and learned that

it was a barren dry land where no vegetation grew and where

animal life was therefore practically non-existant. This was

not encouraging, but another informant told me that he had

known of several living examples of the Alexandra Parrakeet

which had come from that neighbourhood. This seemed more

encouraging and I was anxious to go in search of the lovely

SpathopUrus, and at the same time to study the working of gold

mines. Mr. E. A. Le Souef was anxious to go too as, although

he had lived for years in W. A. he had never been inland to

“ the fields,” consequently we made arrangements to catch the

evening mail train the following day.



