VoI 'i 924 IV ’] MacGTLUVRAY, S.iv. Queensland. 
95 
White-winged Choughs {Core or ax) were feeding small young 
birds. One old bird came to the nest with food when the sitting 
bird would fly away and the young would be fed. The excreta 
of the young was cleaned up by being swallowed, as is the case 
with the Australian Magpie {Gymnorhina ), after which the bird 
sat on the nest until the other returned with more food. 
Behind this creek was a stony, scrub-covered ridge through 
which a few gullies ran down to the creek. Here a pair of 
Rufous-breasted Whistlers were building, as also were pairs of 
Hooded and Red-capped Robins. Chestnut-tailed Thornhills, 
Bronzewings, Butcher-birds, and Singing and Spiny-cheeked 
Honeyeaters were identified. We left this interesting spot in the 
afternoon, following the road over open plains intersected by 
creeks, with scrub to our right and left at a distance, and gradu¬ 
ally giving place to stony ground, on which we again noted the 
Gibber-bird (Ashbyia lovensis ). These plains were dry for a 
time till we came to some bright terra-cotta-coloured sandhills to 
our left. These were dotted with many flowering plants, and 
there was a good deal of herbage on the surrounding flats. Most 
conspicuous and sprawling on the side of the sandhills was 
Acacia ligulata , covered as it was in every instance with its bril¬ 
liant inflorescence. On the top, groups of that shapely shade-tree 
the Whitewood (Atalaya hemiglauca) grew in association. Fine 
yellow-flowered bushes of Crotolaria dissitiflora were dotted all 
over the sand, with a few grown specimens of Crotolaria Cun- 
ninghami, with its curious green, bird-like flower and many 
seedling plants. 
Tangled bushes covered with flowers of the fine yellow com¬ 
posite Calotis erinacea were fairly frequent. The Purple Pea 
{Szvainsona parviflora) was growing finely and flowering freely 
round the foot of the sandhill. The road for the rest of the way 
was very rough over the flooded ground of the Wilson River, 
which here ran south parallel to the Grey Range. We crossed 
it at a stony crossing without so much as wetting our tyres. We 
went south along its right bank through stunted Red-gum and 
Coolibah with occasional trees of Bimble-box, Acacia stenophylla 
and Eremophila bignoniccflora near the channel. We soon came 
to Nockatunga waterhole—a fine permanent hole—and ran on to 
the gravelly plain which overlooked it, and on which the station 
buildings stood. As we arrived a mixed mob of cows and calves 
was being yarded by the musterers for branding. Mr. and Mrs. 
Hughes were away in Thargomindah, but we were made welcome, 
and remained for two days. The station has been well placed 
on this gravelly ridge from which one can look down upon a 
long reach of the Watson bordered with its gums and smaller 
trees, and beyond these a sea of scrub stretches away to the Grey 
Range in the distance. 
After breakfast on the following morning we went up to the 
stockyards for a time to watch drafting operations, which were 
carried out by the station hands, more than half of whom were 
