Something about Hooded Parrakcets and other Birds. 135


visit the water-holes, but, strange to say, all the birds would only

come to one and the same water-hole for their drink. The Parrakeets


1 have only seen drinking in the morning ; the Finches again at about


2 p.m., when also the Pigeons would come for their only daily drink.

I have counted as many as ninety Squatter Pigeons run single file to

their favorite spot, take their drink and march out in the opposite

direction. About 20 miles away from here we met flocks of hundreds

of Black Cockatoos and Corellas, but they were very shy and it was

hard to get a shot at them. What we found a great nuisance were

the native cats at the Granite Rocks, they would carry off anything

not under lock and key : it was most annoying to me to lose my

spectacles and my toothbrush.


Undoubtedly the Northern Territory is a paradise for the

sportsman, if it can be called “ sport ” to sit at the side of a “ billa-

bong ” ( i.e . large waterhole) and shoot at a flock of ducks till one is

tired : they will just rise at the shot, circle round and alight again.

They have probably never seen a white man and most likely never

before heard a shot. On the Alligator swamps, Pigmy Geese are in

thousands, as are in fact every other kind of Waterfowl, and their

species are numerous. I forgot to mention the beautiful Tree Creepers

I saw up there. Towards evening they would play in the air, having

kind of games as it were, and so display their beautifully marked

wings, they always appeared to me to be as looking, when gracefully

displayed, like beautiful lace.


Of course expeditions like these are not all “ beer and skittles”

as the saying goes, for there are humorous and sad experiences, and

though nothing in the bird-line, I would like to give a humorous

incident in concluding this article. Riding alongside of me was one

of our black boys who had a smattering of English and civilisation

—coming from Pine Creek. Having lived on hard biscuits the last

days, my mouth was dry and very sore. To give myself relief I

removed my top plate and the nigger saw it. He got away from

me, fear depicted in his face. In his pigeon-English he informed

my friend of the fact that I had removed my jaw, asking him to

make me do it again. I show T ed him, to convince him it was not

my jaw. Yet a few minutes later his hands went up to his teeth

as he had seen me do it and he rattled them in the hope to remove



