36 CROMPTON— Birds observe*! at Stony fell, Smith Australia. 



Birds Observed at Stonyfell, S.A. 



Br R. Crompton. 



The following list of birds has been made up during the 

 last 35 years by my brothers and myself. 



Stonyfell is situated at the foot of the escarpment of the 

 Mount Lofty Range, five miles directly east of Adelaide. 

 Within a mile and a half there is a variety of country. The 

 quartzite hilltops, covered with stringy bark scrub, intersected 

 by deep gullies, with thick undergrowth and permanent water. 

 The shale hill sides, clothed with peppermint gums 

 and black wattle (acacia), interspersed with grass slopes, 

 spreading out on to the plains. Also patches of red gum and 

 poor land, covered with stunted red and blue gum, wattle 

 kangaroo hedge bush and low bushes. There are also 

 several hundred acres of vineyard, olives, orchard, and 

 garden, and a few surface dams, which make temporary rest- 

 ing places for various waterfowl. Owing to successive bush 

 fires the scrub is gradually disappearing. The poor land is 

 also being cleared for cultivation with the aid of chemical 

 manures, and the ever-approaching suburbs are causing many 

 species to disappear, consequently many of the following birds 

 may never occur again in this district. The names are taken 

 from "A List of the Birds of Australia," by G. M. Mathews, 

 except that binominals are used for dominant species. 



(1) Cotarnix pectoralis — Eastern stubble quail. — Fairly 

 rommon in the early summer, formerly much commoner. A 

 ?ew used to nest; no nests found for many years. 



(2) Si/noicus ypsilopliorus sordid us — Southern brown quail. 

 — A few came in spring years ago; found one nest about 1885. 

 This bird has long since disappeared. 



(3) Ortygodes varius — Eastern painted quail. — Fairly com- 

 mon in the scrub on the hilltops. 



(4) Austrotumix velow — Eastern painted quail. — Only visits 

 us in the early summer; never common. Used to nest about 

 here. 



(5) Pedionomus torquatus — Plain wanderer. — Came in 

 countless numbers one season in the early eighties. They were 

 so tired and hungry that they could be killed with a stick. 

 Some were taken by throwing a crab net over them. After a 

 few days most of thiem moved on, but a few stayed for the rest 



