from which the young had not long emerged. I never got a good view of this Quail, so cannot write with any certainty as to its identity.
At Zanthus I came across several recent nest mounds of the Mallee-Fowl (Leipoa ocellata). I was told that the bird still existed near Karonie, 70 miles east of Kalgoorlie. Years ago a nest containing eggs was found near my Boorara camp. On the edge of the plain I saw but one old nest mound. At Haig were a few very old and rather flattened mounds, which from their regular and circular shape I think were the work of bygone Mallee-Fowl.
Bustards (Eupodotis australis) occur all along the Western Australian portions of the trans-line. I saw more of them at Haig than anywhere else. The largest number seen together was a party of eight, but I was informed at times flocks of over a 100 had been counted on a single flat. Females with one or two young ones were several times seen. On one occasion one of the fettlers chased a young one not able to fly. This he caught, and then tried for the second bird. But the female was too quick for him. Running up she seized the young one with her feet, and pressing it to her breast flew off with it in safety. It is well known that the Woodcock of Europe conveys its newly hatched young to the feeding grounds in like manner.
Emus do not seem very plentiful on the portion of the plain I visited. I saw a single bird at Naretha, and a fine pair passed close to the camp one evening at Haig.
Conclusion.
In conclusion I must thank Messrs. Bert Cottrill, A. Rees, and B. Carroll, station-masters at Naretha, Haig, and Loongana, respectively, for the interest they took in my work, and for doing all in their power to make my visit a pleasant one. I am indebted, too, to Mr. Dumford, one of the travelling road-masters, for many items of useful information. I find no mention of the name Nullarbor in the accounts of the early explorers, who travelled along the shores of the Great Bight. I think, with Captain White, that it is of native origin. The concensus of opinion among the railway staff favours this view. I interviewed one native, born on the plain, but the only information I could glean was that "Boora" means wind.
Rufous Fantail (Rhipidura rufifrons). Mr. George Hill reports having seen a pair of these Fantails in the orchard of Mr. James Cowan, Bacchus Marsh, last August. As these birds usually appear in Victoria about the beginning of November, it is suggested that possibly this pair remained in the local ranges during the winter.—A. J. Campbell. Box Hill (Vic). 26/10/21.
