isolated and conical formations of hæmatite. At the foot of the nearest hill we camped. There was a small creek there, and water was easily obtained by digging in the sand. Along the creek were a few gums and a little scrub. Here I first met with Ptilotis carteri, Geopelia cuneata, Grallina picata, Rhipidura tricolor, and one or two others. Next morning the Ravens were around as usual, and as soon as the drivers were away seeking the camels they got into mischief, and I had to leave my ornithologizing to go and drive them from the bags of flour, which they were busily picking holes into to get at the contents. Resuming our journey, the country became very rocky and arid — red, water-worn, granitic hills, with little or no vegetation except at the creeks, and reminding one of the peninsula of Sinai when viewed from a steamer in the Red Sea. Later on things improved a little, the granite hills giving way to a sandy plateau of vast extent, and intersected at regular intervals by deep creeks, more or less timbered. At the creeks where pools or soaks were to be found there was Ptilotis carteri, as full of vivacity and song as in its most favourite haunts. On the plains were a few Artamus venustus, and an occasional Malurus leucopterus ox Anthus australis and, when not too far away from water, a small flock of Tæniopygia castanotis sometimes flitted by.
At the Strelley River crossing was a large permanent pool, and here, in addition to the previously mentioned species, I noticed Nisaëtus morphnoides, Hieracidea, Cerchneis, Dacelo cervina, Ægialitis melanops, and other of the Limicolæ not recog- nized. It was here, too, that I made acquaintance with the curious Partridge-Pigeon (Lophophaps ferruginea). I shot a pair as they stood sentinel-like on the top of a convenient block of granite. Just before leaving this camp I detected amongst the numerous Ptilotis carteri a stranger to me, and after some difficulty I shot it. It was a Ptilotis. somewhat resembling P. cratitia. I subsequently learnt it was P. kmrtlandi. At Depot Creek I secured my first MelitJireptus Icetior, and an example of CJialcococcyx basalis. But though things were improving it was not until the Shaw River was reached that bird-life became really plentiful. Here I first encountered Chmacteris nielanura, Pomatorliinus rubeculus (four or five old nests of the latter being noticeable in a young gum-tree), Bamardius zonarius,^ numerous PetrocJielidon nigricans^ and other common birds.
Gorge Creek was the next most interesting camp. Here I first encountered Artamus minor, Graiicalns melanops, and the lovely little Painted Finch {Emblema picta). At the Coongan crossing, some 20 miles ahead, the latter river was very wide, the track almost touching the mouth of the Taiga, itself over a quarter of a mile wide at its junction with
- } B. occidentalis. — Eds.
