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A small mouse-like animal — whether a rodent or a marsupial 

 I cannot say, not having seen it — would seem to have been very- 

 plentiful at one time in the arid tracts, as its long shallow 

 burrows — which it is said to close with small stones — were 

 conspicuous objects all over the treeless country, wherever 

 there was a sufficient depth of soil. 



Glass Aves. — A moderately great variety of birds was 

 observed in the oasis. Strix Novee-Hollandm finds a suitable 

 retreat in the caverus ; whilst Aqxiila audax was not unfre- 

 quently seen, and hunting in pairs. Corvus australis clings to 

 the neighbourhood of the water-holes. Cacatua Leadbeateri 

 would seem to be almost a straggler in this region, as only one 

 flock was seen ; and singularly at about the same place that 

 Eyre met with the bird. In the oasis, particularly in its 

 western parts, several species of parakeets were observed, 

 though not identified. A lark inhabits the coast tract, whilst 

 small finches, flycatchers, honeysuckers, emu wrens, Geobasilus 

 regwlus, and Liclimera Australasiana, are common in the 

 timbered region. The ubiquitous bustard, Choriotis australis, 

 is widely spread. 



Class Beptilia. — -Of Ophidians I saw but few individuals of 

 not more than four species, and all within the oasis. Bseudechis 

 porphyriacus (Shaw), black snake ; Hoplocephakts minor 

 (Grunther), desert snake ; Acanthophis antarctica (Wagler), 

 death adder. 



Lizards were met with over a much wider area ; indeed, they 

 occur where no other conspicuous form of animal life were to 

 be seen, though in the latter case the species were a small 

 Mocoa and a small Grammatophora. The species observed were : 

 Monitor Gouldi (Gray), iguana, in the oasis; Trachydosaurus 

 rugosus, sleeping lizard, widely spread ; Egemia Gunninghami, 

 near the coast ; Diplodactylus marmoratus, under stones along 

 the cliff: edge. Grammatophora, n. sp. ? seven inches in length, 

 colour of back, yellowish-brown banded with white ; Gram- 

 matophora, n. sp. ? similar in size and coloration to G. Ade- 

 laidensis, but differing particularly in the depressed head ; 

 Grammatophora, sp. ; Sinulia, two sp. ; Mocoa, two sp. 



The class Iksecta is represented by several brilliant 

 and one very large yellowish-brown species of Stignoderma ; a 

 very large chesnut brown diurnal longicorn ; many vespida?, 

 singularly shaped ichneumons, large dipters, all of which are 

 attracted by the fresh blossoms of mallee and teatree. Clicks, 

 weevils, and ground beetles of the family Broehida;, the latter 

 characterised by nodosities on the elytra. One of the largest 

 Brochidse emits when handled a brown fluid from its mouth, 

 and produces a noise audible at the distance of several yards 

 by rubbing the depressed sides of the abdomen against the 



