1428 Australian Natural History. 



not appear to be able to do this more than two or three times, as far 

 as I have observed. 



You would be very much amused to see a native climb a tree for 

 an opossum. These savages are particularly expert in detecting whe- 

 ther the opossum or the flying squirrel is in a tree. They examine 

 the bark, and by the freshness of their claw-marks readily tell if the 

 animal has ascended the previous night ; being fully assured of this 

 from the absence of any descending track, they immediately com- 

 mence the ascent : the height of a tree never deters them. With 

 their tomahawk they first make a notch in the bark a step from the 

 ground, deep enough to ensure a support for their great toe ; standing 

 on this, they support themselves with one arm round the trunk, and 

 raising the hatchet above their heads, they cut another notch which 

 receives the opposite foot, and thus they mount our tall Eucalyptus 

 with great celerity in a ziz-zag form. Once among the branches, 

 they soon discover the hole of the animal, which they seize, and 

 either kill and drop to their companions, or tuck under their girdle. 



The small blue and buff Kingfisher is similar in its habits to the 

 Laughing Jackass, but frequents the water as well as the land, and its 

 note is shrill. The Red-shouldered Parrot comes from afar, and is 

 here called the " Crimson-wing." The plumage is much the same 

 in both sexes, though the cock is darker on the back ; they are easily 

 domesticated. The bird you call a " Small Bittern " is considered 

 very rare here. I have never seen a second. 



There are a great variety and very beautiful specimens of Dragon- 

 flies, particularly of the slender-bodied kind. Of these, though I have 

 caught many, I have never been able to preserve them, for when dry 

 the bodies always break off, and their brilliant colours invariably fade 

 away and turn to a general brown. 



Of Spiders there is also an infinite variety, some of them beauti- 

 ful, others hideous. Those of the jumping sort are very numerous, 

 I once was walking in the fields, and kicked over a clod, and in doing 

 so disturbed a large brown spider. It appeared to me as if pitted 

 with innumerable holes of a lighter colour than its general colour, but 

 on stooping down to observe it, I found these supposed dots to be a 

 numerous progeny completely covering the back of the mother. 

 The affection of the spider for its egg-bag and young is very great, 

 but I never before observed it so strong as for the parent to bear the 

 weight of some fifties of sons and daughters on its back. It seemed 

 thoroughly alarmed at being disturbed, but in following the bent of 

 my curiosity I touched it with a stick and directly disturbed all its 



