408 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



April 23rd, 1899.— -To-day I wended my way to Manly, and 

 from thence journeyed by coach to Rocklily, some miles along 

 the coast. It was a most enjoyable and perfect day. As we 

 drove along through the balmy bracing atmosphere, with the 

 occasional buzz of insects coming to our ears, ever and anon 

 could be heard the extremely melodious cry of the Collared 

 Crow-Shrike (Gracticus torquatus), one of the so-called "Butcher 

 Birds," rising above the more feeble twitterings and chirpings of 

 the smaller birds. En route also I was much impressed and 

 interested by the gradual change in the physical aspect of the 

 land as we began to come out upon the " Narrabeen Shales " 

 (which here crop out from under the "Hawkesbury Sandstone"). 

 Amongst the objects of interest which were passed I must not 

 omit to mention several beautiful cabbage-tree palms, which 

 reared their stately crowns high in air. 



After a pleasant drive in the genial sunshine we arrived at 

 Rocklily, where I alighted, and whence I began to walk on 

 my return journey to Manly via the coast. Whilst making my 

 way from there to the coast (a distance of about half a mile) I was 

 greatly amused by the actions of a small insectivorous bird, 

 which, by feigning to be wounded, did its best to attract me away 

 from where I knew its nest must be situated ; however, as I had 

 experienced that before, I took no notice of it. On Rocklily beach 

 I found indisputable evidence that the sand-dunes were resting 

 upon shales, as at intervals portions of these shales cropped out, 

 and here and there were little streamlets of salt water oozing out 

 of the sand (all at the one level), the sole visible occupants of 

 which were a few small Amphipoda. On the drier parts of this 

 and the succeeding beaches the tiny burrows of minute grey 

 Isopoda, as well as the animals themselves, were much in 

 evidence. Here also were to be seen the burrows of the beautiful 

 swift-footed Crab (Ocypoda cordimana), which penetrate obliquely 

 into the sand for some distance. 



After traversing these beaches, and while rounding a head- 

 land, I disturbed several Ravens, Corvus australis (the " Wah- 

 gun" of the Bourke district aborigines), which were walking 

 about at the water's edge ; also a Cormorant (Phalacrocorax novce- 

 hollandice), which was perched sentinel-like upon the adjacent 

 rocks. (Incidentally, I might mention that there is a price set 



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