Some Notes from Brookton, W.A.
By H. E. Hill, Guildford.
Having been kindly asked by Mr. Chas. Crossland to spend a couple of weeks in his survey camp during a recent holiday, the 4th of July last found me at Brookton, a railway siding on the Albany line, about 100 miles south-east of Perth, in company with Mr. Crossland's two sons.
The country in this district consists largely of granite, great boulders of which occur everywhere, the largest of these being known as the "Nine-acre Rock." This name is, however, misleading, as the block must measure about a quarter of a mile each way, and so would cover nearer forty acres than nine. I was struck by the great size of the crystals of spar in some of these blocks. The granite country, as elsewhere, is fairly open, with tall trees, and here are found the larger birds, such as Hawks, Magpies, Squeakers (Strepera), &c. Running from north-west to south-east across the granite is a curious succession of low ridges of gravel (ironstone), with a steep cliff face towards the south, and the long slope on the northerly side. The steep faces are generally bare of vegetation, while the long slope is covered with a densely-growing scrub of hakeas and honey-bearing bushes. This scrub is the home of numerous tamma, kangaroo-rats, and kangaroos, and it contains an immense variety of small birds, chiefly Honey-eaters and Wrens. The gullies between the gravel ridges have a scrub of their own, not so dense as that on the slopes, and consisting mostly of box poison, which is also found in the granite country.
My list of birds is not very long, but the weather was very bad for bird-work during half of my stay, otherwise I believe I could have doubled the number observed in the time.
Eagle (Uroaëtus audax).—Saw three individuals myself, and one other was reported. Probably a single pair. On two other occasions I saw fair-sized Hawks in the distance.
Raven (Corone australis).—Was far from common. Heard the cry several times, but only saw one bird.
Crow-shrike, "Squeaker" (Strepera plumbea).—Was fairly plentiful on the granite, but did not occur near the gravel ridges. A wary bird (see note under "Restless Flycatcher"). The cry somewhat resembles that of the "Twenty-eight" Parrakeet.
Shrike-thrush (Collyriocincla rufiventris).—Very abundant everywhere. Some individuals were very shy and difficult to approach, while others were the reverse. Have several distinct songs, one of which is loud and musical but hardly so melodious as that of C. harmonica of eastern fame.
Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, "Blue Pigeon" (Graucalus melanops). — Saw only an occasional bird, and always in the granite.
Lesser Brown Flycatcher (Micrœca assimilis).—Not uncommon.
Red-capped Robin (Petrceca goodenovi).—Frequent in the granite country and generally away from the denser scrub.
Hooded Robin (Petrœca bicolor).—Only saw a single specimen.
Southern Fly-eater (Pseudogerygone culicivora).—Heard this bird calling once or twice, but did not see it.
Wren (Malurus, sp.).—Very plentiful in the thickest scrub on the gravel ridges, but, though they were always to be heard, it was difficult to get a sight of one. Only saw one or two specimens after long waiting, and did not succeed in procuring a skin. As those I saw were all hens, I cannot say to which species they belonged, as I never got more than a momentary glimpse at a bird as it hopped through the bushes.
Western Fantail (Rhipidura preissi).—Saw one or two only.
Black And White Fantail (Rhipidura tricolor).—Fairly common in the granite and in the cultivated parts.
Restless Flycatcher (Sisura inquieta).—Only saw these birds once. It was a damp, foggy day, with occasional showers, and few birds were to be seen, but the weather seemed to have the effect of making the shyer birds more approachable. We found it much easier to get near the "Squeakers," for instance, and in one paddock we suddenly found ourselves surrounded with Restless Flycatchers, which were making a great deal of noise and apparently having a very good time among the insects.
Plain-coloured Tit (Acanthiza inornata).—Very plentiful in the taller trees.
Yellow-rumped Tit (Acanthiza chrysorrhoa).—Common enough.
Magpie (Gymnorhina dorsalis).—Not common, and only occurring in the granite. Seemed shyer than usual.
Butcher-bird (Cracticus, sp.).—Saw a single Butcher-Bird near Brookton township, but I did not shoot it, and I do not know which species it belonged to. It was probably C. leucopterus.
White-bellied Shrike-Tit (Falcunculus leucogaster)—Obtained a single skin.
Bell-Bird (Oreoica cristata).—Heard continually in the granite, but not often seen. Watched one bird singing for a while, and I noticed that as it sang it continually raised and lowered its crest.
Western Thickhead (Pachycephala occidentalis).—Fairly frequent in the granite.
Rufous-breasted Thickhead (Pachycephala rufiventris) also occurs.
Rufous Tree-creeper (Climacteris rufa).—Very common in the granite. Very often to be seen hunting among the dead logs with which the ground is everywhere covered, as well as in the trees. When disturbed from the ground it almost invariably flew to a dead tree. Has a peculiar cry, which reminded me of that of the Rufous Bristle-Bird (Sphenura broadbenti), and, in fact, the boys promptly christened it the "wheelbarrow."
Black-capped Tree-runner (Sittella pileata).—Frequently saw small mobs of these little birds. They were not difficult to approach, but they seemed hard to kill, and we had some trouble in procuring specimens.
Spinebill (Acanthorhynchus superciliosus).—In the scrub on the gravel ridges.
Silver-eye (Zosterops gouldi).—Very common everywhere. I suppose the species was gouldi, but I did not take a skin.
Brown Honey-eater (Glycyphila ocularis).—Only saw a single individual of whose identity I was certain, but I believe there were plenty on the gravel ridges.
Singing Honey-eater (Ptilotis sonora).—Remarkably abundant, particularly in the granite.
Yellow-plumed Honey-eater (Ptilotis ornata).—Another remarkably abundant bird, favouring the same parts as P. sonora. Have seen over thirty in a single tree.
Moustached Honey-eater (Meliornis mystacalis).—A shy bird. Found only in the densest scrubs on the gravel ridges, where it is very abundant, and its cry is continually to be heard. Now and then one can be seen as it mounts to the top of a bush for a moment, but it instantly vanishes on perceiving the intruder, no matter how still he remains. The skin of a Moustached Honey-eater which I shot was loose, and could be taken up in the fingers like that of a pug dog.
Wattle-Bird (Acanthochcera carunculata).—Fairly plentiful and well distributed.
Red-tipped Pardalote (Pardalotus ornatus).—Frequent, and indifferent as to locality.
Swallow (Hirundo neoxena).—In the opener parts.
Ground-Lark (Anthus australis).—Near cultivated ground.
Wood-swallow (Artamus sordidus).—Saw a good number of these near Brookton. Mr. Wellington, a selector near our camp, told me one day of a bird he called a "Buan," and said that at night a mob hung in a cluster on a tree, looking like a great knob, after the manner of a swarm of bees. On seeing a Sordid Wood-Swallow which I was skinning, he said that that was the "Buan." Turning up Gould's Handbook I find the following remarks:—Page 143: "Native name Be-wo-wen, Aborigines of Western Australia." Page 145: "But the greatest peculiarity in the habits of this bird is its manner of hanging together in clusters from the branch of a tree, like a swarm of bees." Mr. Wellington also stated that the bird was much commoner in winter than in summer. I saw another species of Wood-Swallow once or twice near Brookton, but which I do not know.
Fan-tailed Cuckoo (Cacomantis flabelliformis).—Saw a single skin, which the boys brought me.
Purple-crowned Lorikeet (Glossopsittacus porphryrocephalus).—On a number of occasions Lorikeets were about, but this was the only species I could identify.
Black Cockatoo (Calyptorhynchus, probably baudini).—Saw a single pair.
Yellow-cheeked Parrakeet (Platycercus icterotis).—Known locally as "Rosella." Not infrequent in the opener country towards Brookton.
Parrakeet.—Saw a Parrot which the boys called a "King Parrot," but which was a stranger to me. I did not succeed in procuring a specimen. It was most likely the Red-capped Parrakeet (Porphyrocephalus spurius).
Yellow-collared Parrakeet, "Twenty-eight" (Platycercus semitorquatus).—Plentiful. Somewhat difficult of approach. Its note, as remarked above, somewhat resembles that of Strepera plumbea.
Pigeons.—Once or twice Bronze-winged Pigeons were reported. It was said that there were two kinds, one of which was only to be found in the box poison, patches of which occur all over the district.
Stone-Plover (Burhinus grallarius).—Only saw a single bird, but they could be heard every night. One night while we were out after 'possums they would repeat their dismal cry after every gunshot.
Ducks.—On the same night we started a few Ducks from a small pool in the granite.
Emu (Dromæus, sp.).—Saw two small mobs of Emus in the distance one day. They were said to be plentiful a few miles off.