24 Walter Goodfellow—A Collector on Melville Island


bird artist I am sure I should revel in sketching them in every possible

position, especially if I had a tame one living with me, involuntarily

posing for me all day long. My youngster grew apace rapidly, too

much so for my peace of mind, and I began to wonder how I should

transport it from the island. To me there always seemed something

rather pathetic when it stretched its baby wings and pirouetted about

the floor. Although I am sure it was happy, I resolved that I would

always do all I could to keep it so as long as it was in my possession.

It was still fed on wheat, and for the first few days this was put down

its throat with a spoon, but when I found it picked up the grains

dropped I let it feed itself. For a long time it preferred the wheat

boiled, but finally, before I left for the mainland, it was on dry grain

and all the live food I could spare it. One day in camp I found it

with a hideous centipede fully 8 inches long held in the bill, and

twisted around it. I got it away, killed it, and then let him eat it.

Another time it brought in a very beautiful legless lizard about a foot

long, of a species I had not seen before, a purplish pink, with a darker

line along each side. These lizards, apart from the head, look like

a snake. Another time it caught a poisonous brown snake in camp

2 feet long. This I killed and cut off the head, and the body in two

sections, and let him eat it.


The first plumage is a pretty blending of pale fawn and grey, and

until the tail grows a long fringe of grey down conceals it. The head

at 'first is yellowish red, in reality a thick down which gets rubbed

off in time. It scrupulously ate all the fledge dust and quill cases

as they came off. As it grew older there was generally quite a litter

of this where it had slept during the night. It was all picked up and

eaten first thing to the smallest scrap. As I could get no carriers to

bring me out, one of the Fathers from Bathurst, hearing of my predica¬

ment, unexpectedly came to my rescue and brought his launch 50

miles along the coast, and so saved me that walk. I only had an

hour’s notice to get ready, and it was just as well, for if I had had more

time to think it over I should have thought it impossible. By abandon¬

ing all camp gear I was able with the help of the few blacks the Father

brought with him to bring out all my livestock. So we started off to the

coast, both of us carrying packs, and I, in addition, with a long-legged



