257 



About the Everard llauge some opossums are found, which 

 •are easily caught in the stunted mallee-trees. Whether this 

 xmimal occurs in the Victoria Desert I airi unable to state, not 

 liaving had an opportunity of securing one during the march 

 iicross that district, but it is very possible tliat it does, because it 

 is known about the Fraser Range, where I did not see it either, 

 but obtained the name for it from the blacks by }neans of a pre- 

 pared skin. At the same time they could not give me the nan;e 

 •of the rook-wallaby and of otlier animals T showed thein the 

 skins of. 



Kangaroos and enms occur througjiout tlio interior, for tracks 

 ■of these were occasionally seen by me during the jour'ney, and 

 the animals came several times under my observation near the 

 various ranges, where no doubt they occur more freiiuently than 

 in the waterless districts. This large game is stalked and 

 speared, and may be at times it is also driven into the brush- 

 wood enclosures mentioned above. 



The eggs of the emu yield a good food supply in early spring, 

 and mallee hens' (Leipoa ocellata) eggs must also be plentiful at 

 certain times, as tlie nests of these birds were frequently seen. 



A considerable number of eagles inhabit the "spinifex" country, 

 where this bird preys mainly upon the Largochestes. As none 

 of the trees grow to a great height, the nests are easily robbed. 

 That some of them had been searched for eggs or fledglings was 

 proved by the presence of saplings placed against several trees to 

 assist the natives in climbing. Eagle eggs I had once an oppor- 

 tunity of eating, and found tliem very palatable, and in no way 

 mink, as one might reasonably have expected, considering that 

 the bird lives entirely upon flesh-food, and that its own flesh 

 smells \'ery offensively. In fact, it is so offensive that our dog 

 would not eat it after it had been roasted, although he was eager 

 for a little fresh meat. The blacks, however, seem to eat the 

 eagle, because they always regretted when the rifle bullet missed 

 them — as was frequently the case during the early part of the 

 journey whilst we had aboriginal visitors. 



All the other flesh-food the blacks secure is very tasty, if pre- 

 pared in their own fashion, namely, cooked in the hot sand under 

 the embers of the Are, whether it is opossum, lizard, or egg, be- 

 cause it retains its flavor to perfection by broiling in its own 

 juice. I have tasted all these things, and found them delicious, 

 particularly the iguanas. The fur of the animals is removed by 

 plucking it out, and the entrails are abstracted through a small 

 incision, that is stopped up with a little grass ; when cooked, and 

 the skin peeled ofl^, the flesh looks as inviting as any dish can. 

 The lizards are cooked as they are caught , the skin peels easily 

 off' when they are done, and the entrails are conglobated. When 



