Voi. xxiv. -l BARNARD, Birds of Coomooboolaroo 
1925 J ’ J 
253 
creeks that intersect the run in their course to join the Dawson. 
This is the type of country .referred to in these notes as rangy 
country.” 
There are a few large patches of “scrub” on the run. these 
are essentially dry scrubs , not at all like the scrubs found on the 
coast about a hundred miles away, which are tropical in appeal - 
ance and growth. Our scrubs are composed of brigalow and 
belar trees (Acacia harpophylla and Cctsuarina lepidophloia), 
with a thick undergrowth of small shrubs of great variety. 
Fifty years ago the creek banks were well protected by a 
heavy growth of grass and reeds, and at every bend in the creek 
were nice little waterholes, many of them practically permanent, 
full of fish, yabbies (crayfish), etc., providing food for the 
different kinds of Herons, etc. Now the stock have trampled 
away the long grass along the creeks, and the small waterholes 
have silted up and disappeared. 
There were several swamps on the run, some of which when 
full covered about 20 acres and were about three feet deep. 
Looking back is seems to me that these swamps nearly always 
had water in them, and were covered with long green rushes, 
which afforded excellent cover for Swamp-Hens, Coots, and 
Ducks of various kinds. Now it is the exception for them to 
contain water. The seasons appear to have become much drier 
during the past 30 years, and there has not been what we call 
a good “wet season” during the last 14 years. 
A very severe drought occurred in 1902, and certain species 
of birds disappeared altogether at that time. Some of these 
have reappeared and have almost or quite reached their former 
numbers. In that year also several species of western birds, 
including the Ground Cuckoo-Shrike, Yellow-throated Miner, 
Cockatoo-Parrot, and Shell Parrot, appeared for the first time. 
Some of these have been seen since, but others have not 
returned. 
Emu (Dromaius novx-hollandix ).—Becoming much more numerous 
since the Eagles and Dingoes have been poisoned off. they are 
greatly blamed as carriers and distributors of prickly-pear as they 
feed on the fruit. „ , 
Brush Turkey (Alectura lathami ).—Very plentiful in the scrubs, 
apparently more numerous since the blacks decreased. Occasionally 
these birds leave the scrub in flocks and wander about the forest coun¬ 
try. I remember once we had a black boy out to look for horses, and 
some hours later he came up and asked for the gun. He said that he 
had driven a mob of Turkeys (about a dozen) home and then whistled 
up his dogs and put them up into the trees; then he came for the gun 
and shot several of them. The blacks say that once a Turkey flies 
off a tree, he does not alight upon another tree, but takes a long, 
sloping flight and settles on the ground, and that, he will not fly up 
again even if the dogs are after him. In support of this statement, 
mav mention that once, when we were driving a mob ot cattle, 
a Turkey flew up into a tree. A black boy rode under the tree and 
frightened it, and when it flew, galloped along behind, and was close 
up to it when it settled on the ground about two hundred yards away. 
It did not attempt to fly again, but just ran round in front of the 
horse, finally running into some bushes, when the boy jumped oil and 
caught it. 
