Page:The Emu volume 20.djvu/181

 ^°'i' J^^ 1 Rova! .liis/rnlnsiai! Ornitholo^is.(fi' T'^ninu. 137 Triih-, the romliin.ilioii is not onlx' n-inarkahlc. bul also inosi dis- tinctive. In conclusion, I wish lo acknowledge our indebtedness to Messrs. Bullock and Orton tor ihe opportunity of seeing something of the bird-life of Moora. In the few hours at our disposal we were taken by motor from place to place, saw something of the breeding- places of manv of the water-birds and waders, and wert' told that lagoons similar to the two visited continued in a sort of string for fuUv 20 miles. What a happy hunting-ground for the bird- lover ! ■

UPON THE MURCHISON.

By J. W. Mellor, Sometime President R.A.O.U.

As Mr. Ashby has dealt with the southern portion of the ornith- ological expedition undertaken by us in Western Australia, I shnll deal with the farthest north'— the Murchison River district. Having dropped my co-worker from the train on the Watheroo sand-plain at mid-day, I continued the journey to Geraldton, and arrived there at midnight. By 6 p.m. next day the head of the railway line was reached at Ajana. This still left many miles to travel before the River Murchison could be reached. Happily, I found a friend in Mr. George Wyly, who had an interest in a mine on the Murchison, and Mr. Tom Johnston, who was " going that way " in a springcart. My luggage and self were soon stowed away, and tlie journey started through sand-plain and open country, with many beautiful flowers fit for any garden. Soon our way became rougher, and at times everyone and everything left the dray as we got into scrub country ; the stones and ruts were bad, and the darkness intense. Quite unexpectedly we came upon a camp-fire in the scrub at the Block 7 Lead Mine, where I found another friend in need — Mr. W. F. Thring, a son of tin' well-known South Australian explorer — and we were soon dis- cussing things, " parliamentary and otherwise," over a mug of steaming hot tea, which was most acceptable, as the night was bitterly cold, although the day had been intensely hot. Mr. Thring drove me that night to the Murchison, to the camp of Mr. Harry Leader, a part owner of the Boobee Copper Mine, where 1 received a hearty bush welcome, and it was midnight before I got to bunk under the shelter of an open tent and dreamed of the mighty flowing Murchison and the innumerable water-fowl — impressions that were so soon to be shattered on the morrow, for, on forcing my way to the river next morning, 1 was surprised to find a rocky-bottomed course, dry but for occasional pools some ',0 or 40 yards long, and Salter than the sea, the only water avail- able for drinking purposes being a sohtary soak, giving a few kerosene tins per day, or a little thick mud from the bottom of the copper mine. The day was scorching — consid<'ral)ly (>'er 100 degrees in the shade, " if (ni could find it," as, for the most