On my Visit to Australia.



312



beautiful Parrakeets visited the district in some numbers, and

many were captured. Everybody seemed to know the bird quite

well, but unfortunately almost all those which had been caged

had died, probably through their owners knowing nothing of the

correct method of treating them.


Except for a few Swallows ( Hirundo neoxena ) and White-

Eyes ( Zosterops gouldi ) and an occasional Kestrel ( Cerchneis

cenchroides') wild birds were conspicuous by their absence.


The following day was spent in inspecting the gold mines

and studying the process by which the gold is obtained, and in

the evening we boarded the train on our return to Perth.


On arrival at the Perth Zoo the following morning we

were met by Mr. L- Le Souef, who suggested that we should

spend the night at Monger’s lake, a broad expanse of water to

the north of Perth, which is frequented by waterfowl innumer¬

able, and that with the aid of long nets, we should endeavour to

capture living specimens. The idea pleased me immensely, and

in the late afternoon Mr. E. Ee Souef and I proceeded to the

lake ; laying in, on our way, a stock of provisions for our supper.


O11 arrival at the water’s edge I was charmed with the

notes of the Long-billed Reed Warbler (Acrocepkalus longirostris'),

one of the most beautiful songsters in Australia, many of its

notes much resembling those of our Nightingale. Its song was

continued from time to time during the greater part of the night.

We rowed to the further end of the lake where there are exten¬

sive reed-beds, 011 our way putting up numbers of Mountain

Duck,” as the Australian Sheldrake ( Cascara tadornoides ) is there

termed, and several other species. The beautiful “ Blue Bald

Coot” ( Porphyrio Bellas) was common along the lake side, and

numbers of Cormorants fished in the lake. Solitary specimens of

the Musk Duck ( Biziura lobata) were frequently seen. They are

great divers, rarely if ever flying.


On approaching the reeds we put up numbers of duck of

several species. Mountain Duck, Black Duck and White-eyes or

Hardheads ( Nyroca australis ) being conspicuous, as well as any

number of Shags. Dabchicks ( Podiceps novoe-hollandies) were

numerous, and the reed-beds seemed to contain any number of

Little Crakes ( Porzana palust/is) whose plaintive notes were



