Thirty -six 
THE SOUTH AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST 
March, 195,? 
and colleagues, writing of the Koo- 
naraore Reserve near the Broken 
Hill line, mention that Emus eat 
the fruits of Loranthus Preissii in 
quantities, but of course, not being 
able to fly, could not spread this 
mistletoe to other shrubs. 
Chenopodiaceae The Ruby 
Saltbush ( Enchylaena tomentoso) 
with small red or yellow fruits 
(perianths) is widely distributed 
almost throughout the State. T. G. 
B. Osborn, J. G. Wood and T. B. 
Paltridge (Proc. Linn. Soc. N.S.W., 
LX, 1935, p. 407) consider that 
Rhagodia and Enchylaena, with 
their fleshy fruits, are bird distri- 
buted and add: “It is very notice- 
able that the young plants of Rha- 
godia Crau dicaudi ana . . . have done 
so (i.e., appeared) under trees that 
had served as perching places for 
birds.” 
Osborn, Wood and Paltridge re- 
corded in 1935 that Galahs at 
Koonamore passed their beaks 
through the bracteoles of A'triplex 
v e-si c avium so that each pair was 
“neatly cut open with a semi- 
circular incision and the seed re- 
moved.” 
Pittas poraceae\ — The Native 
Pittosporum (. Pittosporum phil- 
lyraeoides) is also wide y distributed 
but never abundant. Its leaves, }. 
M. Black says, are eaten by cattle 
and the seeds by natives. The two 
species of Billardiera have berries, 
but I do not know whether these 
are eaten. B. cymosa is widely dis- 
tributed, but not abundant. 
Rosaecae: — The Native Rasp- 
berry (Rub us parvif alius) has a 
rather poor dry fruit, and is found 
over considerable areas in the 
South, but again is sparingly dis- 
tributed. 
Zygaphyllaceae:— Nitraria Scha- 
heri, Nitre-Bush, which grows 
along the coast and also occurs in- 
land, particularly in the North, has 
an edible purple, red or golden 
drupe half-an-inch or more long. 
The fruit is eaten by the natives, 
but I do not know of any records 
of birds feeding on it, though this 
is likely. 
Meliaceae: — Owenia acidula 
“Sour Plum,” grows in this State 
near Cordillo Downs and the fruits 
are eaten by Emus. 
Sapindaceae: — The Bullock Bush 
( Heterodendrum alei folium) of 
our northern parts has a large 
scarlet arillus contrasting with 
black seeds, features, according to 
Ridley, inviting transport by birds. 
Sterculiaceae: — Brachy chiton 
Gregorii : — The Desert Kurrajong 
and Crows. N. B. T indale and 
C. Hackett. (Film of Mann 
Range, 1933, vide “Man,” 
London, 1937) have recorded a 
very interesting example of the 
distribution of seeds by birds, an 
example that recalls the feeding of 
Eliiah by the ravens. In the Mann 
Ranges in the North-West of this 
State they found the native women 
collecting in their coolamons the 
seeds of the Desert Kurrajong 
(Brachychiton Gregorii ), which 
had been passed by Grows (prob- 
ably the Little Chow, Corvus Ben- 
net ii) when they came to the rock- 
lioles in the Ranges for water. A 
number of seeds could be readily 
gathered and were pounded be- 
tween millstones into a meal, 
cooked and eaten. The Desert 
Kurrajong grows only on the sand 
hills well away from the ranges. 
The seeds are regurgitated as pel- 
lets (Condon, S.A. Orn. 16, Pt. 1. 
p. 3) round the rock-holes are left 
in an unsuitable situation to grow, 
but doubtless others were dropped 
in suitable places in the sandhills 
as the birds flew, and so the Desert 
Kmrajongs were distributed. 
