STEAW-NECKED IBIS. 
explained, there were too many even for their appetites — ‘ Can’t finish ’em,’ as 
they sorrowfully said, so they brought some back in the cart as a ‘ peace offering.’ 
“ The foreman soon after sent word over to me at Point Cloates, about 
60 miles distant, and as soon as I could leave there I drove over to visit the 
colony, as it was, as far as I knew, the first record of this species breeding 
in West Australia. Unfortunately I was rather late, and the bulk of the young 
birds had flown, but there were hundreds if not thousands of nests, built on 
low bushes flattened down by the flood, and matted with ‘ wrack ’ or debris 
of leaves, etc. Many other nests were built on the ground, of a flat, wide 
shape, made of small sticks and leaves. There was then no water within 
a quarter of a mile. Some of the bushes contained four or six nests interbuilt, 
and many of them contained addled eggs. As some young birds were still 
flopping about, I told my native boy to catch some, and naturally he killed 
all as he caught them (which I ought to have foreseen), but I managed to 
save two alive, which I took home. One survived and was alive when 
I left Point Cloates in 1902, and was a most interesting and amusing pet. 
“ At flrst I had it tethered by a leg, and fed it on pieces of meat dropped 
in a damper dish filled with water. These it readily picked out, usually 
reversing its head while dabbling with its beak. In a few days I gave it full 
liberty, and it was speedily champion of all the dogs, cats, fowls and ducks, 
all of whom feared its long, snapping beak. Afterwards it ‘ chummed ’ in 
with a young kangaroo dog, and used to play hide-and-seek with it, with 
pieces of bone, even puUing them from out of the dog’s throat. When the 
dog slept, it would mount guard over it, and snap its beak at anyone 
approaching. 
“ It readily answered to its name, ‘ Jack,’ and rarely missed a meal time, 
but would stand waiting for a piece of meat. If it had to wait too long it 
would pluck one’s hand or clothes with its beak to attract attention. Almost 
all food was taken to be well washed in water by it, before swallowing. At 
night it fed on the roof of the house upon cockroaches, mice, etc., captured 
from the grass laid upon the iron to make it cooler. 
“ In the daytime all crevices in the verandah boards, etc., were thoroughly 
probed in search of centipedes, etc., and old boots were a very favourite 
hunting-ground, its long beak probing to the end of the toes for a stray spider 
or lizard. 
“ In 1902 other ‘ Ibises ’ again appeared in the district, and my tame 
bird would feed with them for hours but never went away with them. One 
day an immature Haliastur leucogaster gave chase to it, flying after it round 
the house two or three times, but the Ibis easily evaded capture by its less 
agile pursuer. 
VOL. in. 
389 
