July, 1915 . 
The Queensland Naturalist. 
27 
feet or more, and has many grand passages and chambers. 
About 35 miles N. of Perth there is also similar country of 
limestone formation with many caves, but I did not visit it. 
Near Albany, and at Wilson’s Inlet, 30 miles west, there is 
much country which reminds one of our Wallum fiats along 
the North Coast, between Brisbane and Bundaberg. Some 
of it, howe\'er. fairly bristles with granite boulders of all 
sizes and shapes. 
The fauna of the country is disappointing, especially as 
regards the bird life. Although a list of nearly 500 species 
of birds for all West Australia has been published, the bush 
is very silent indeed as regards them. It was at Wilson's 
Inlet I saw most, and thei'e I came across the black cockatoos 
[C alyptorhynchus Baudini and ^tellatus), the purple-crowned 
parrot ((jlossopsitiacus porphvrocephaliid) , and in addition 
to many others, the interesting little striated grass bird 
[Megalurm stY%at>id)^ of which I saw and examined the nest 
in a dense swamp. Mr. Whitlock, the well known West 
Australian ornithologist, who pointed it out to me. informed 
me I was the only other beside himself who had ever seen 
the nest of this bird. When he haa first found it the eggs 
were intact, but mice had afterwards destroyed them. Here 
also was the very beautiful blue water hen (Porphyyio hellns). 
These 1 saw following a plough picking up the grubs as turned 
over by it. At Hamel, inidwav between Perth and Bunbury, 
I first came across the 28 parrot {Barnardtus seniitorquatiis) . 
now become very destructive in the orchards. These with 
the Smoker {Plaiycerciis hrowni) were also seen on many 
occasions in the forests bordering on the sand plains near 
Cunderdin, though the Smoker, I was informed, was rare. 
Of those pre-eminently beautiful birds the superb warblers 
(Maliirus) I saw three species, one very like our Lambert’s 
warbler (M alums lamhnii). These are but a few of the birds 
seen. Amongst reptiles I came across, those worthy of note 
include the Moloch (Moloch horridiis), the stump-tailed lizard 
(I'rachysaurus nigosus), botli not uncommon on tlie sand 
plains ; the latter also on the lower slopes of the Darling 
Range at Hamel. Geckos of se\'eral species in Gymno- 
dactylns and Gehyra were common under bark. Insects are 
not nearly so numerous as in Queensland, but many fine 
forms in Coleoptera, Heierocera, Orthoptera, ana Hymencptera 
are present. Iii Rhopaloccra (butterflies), about 39 kinds are 
known, and of these only a few are at all abundant. Syriemon 
{C asiniidar] a genus of moths with clubbed antennae is largely 
represented, West Australia being the headquarters. They 
are active insects, and fly only in the bright sunlight. Pome- 
times they alight on the bare ground with the fore-wings 
covering the hind wings, which are usually gaily coloured, 
