714 



thickly lined with ti-tree (Melaleuca glomerata). Mount- 

 Ferdinand, 4,000 feet, towered above us. A great mass of 

 old-man saltbush surrounded the tree marked by Ernest Giles, 

 the explorer, in 1873; the "E. G." was plainly seen, but, 

 unfortunately, the blaze on the tree faced south, and it was 

 almost impossible to get a good photo. One of our greatest 

 disappointments came to us here, for the waterhole marked 

 "Ernabella" on the map, and which Giles said was perman- 

 ent, and which Hiibbe stated "would float a ship," was quite 

 dry, and had been for years. There was a gumtree, five 

 years old at least, growing in the hole which once contained 

 water. 



The party now broke up — two went in search of Harris 

 Spring, which was found to be dry; our leader (Mr. Jack) 

 and myself searched to the north without success. 



Next day vy-e followed down Tietkens Creek and dug out 

 many soakages and native wells without finding any water. 

 We now traversed a dense mulga scrub, and after another 

 day reached the rockhole, the last water which we had left 

 some time previously. 



The following day after our arrival on this water our 

 leader, with Mr. Rogers and a black boy, with three cam.els 

 started off for the south side of the Musgrave Ranges. This 

 enabled me to do some collecting amongst the birds, and 

 numerous plants and insects were obtained ; also some inter- 

 esting photographs were taken of ants' nests, native shelters, 

 and plants. While sitting at the rockhole late at night, out 

 of the darkness came the unmistakable call of parrots; hopes 

 were entertained that they were the ''Night Parrot" (Geop- 

 siffacus occidentalis). After flying round once or twice (they 

 could not be seen, only heard) it was noted by the starlight 

 reflecting in the water that they had settled on the edge of 

 the rock. A shot was fired and one bird secured, which 

 proved to be the "Blue-vented Parrot" (N eopsepliotus 

 hoNrJxii). It is probable that these birds come in after dark 

 to avoid the hawks, which are always waiting round the 

 waterholes for small birds to come in to drink. 



Trouble in getting water compelled us to fall back on 

 Moorilyanna Native Well, but there might have been another 

 water no great distance off, for although birds were very 

 scarce, a fine bronze-winged pigeon fPhajJs chalcoptera) was 

 seen, and these birds are never found very far from water. 

 A large flock of "White-browed Wood Swallows" (CamjjheU- 

 ornis sujjerciliosus) passed over the camp travelling south. 

 A little to the north-east of our camp, in a slight depression, 

 was found a small clump of gum-like wattles (Eucalyptus 

 oleos), with very rough reddish bark a long way up the trunk 



