ven had we eaten nothing else. Our black
friends--with the exception of one lad who desired to remain--left us
one morning at sunrise, and we saw them no more. I am afraid they were
deeply hurt by our poisoning half a dozen of their mangy dogs, which
were, with the rest of the pack, a continual source of annoyance to us
by their expert thieving.

One dull, rainy day, as we sat indoors mending our clothes, and yarning
and smoking, we heard the scream of parrots, and, going to the door, saw
some twenty or thirty of them, large, fine, green and scarlet plumaged
birds, hanging on to and crawling in and out among the branches of some
low trees growing between the stockyard and the creek. These trees
were a species of wattle, and were just opening out their yellow,
sweet-smelling, downy flowers, which the beautiful birds were devouring
eagerly. We did not disturb them, and they did not appear to be alarmed
when we walked up to within a few yards of the trees, merely screaming
defiance, and flying up to the higher branches, or to other trees near
by. These birds the local settlers called "king-parrots"; they were
larger than those of the same species in New South Wales, and later in
the season we shot a few of them for soup. This particular flock visited
us for many days in succession, forming a pretty picture as they hung
on the branches, chattering loudly the while, and flashing their
gaily-coloured plumage in the bright sunshine. Like the spur-winged
plover, they were very inquisitive birds; if one of their number was
shot, and fell wounded, the rest of the flock would fly round and round
the poor creature, watching its movements and listening to its cries,
not out of pity, but of sheer curiosity, and each could be shot in
succession, or sometimes knocked down with a stick. I was told by a
stockman on Fanning Downs station that on several occasions when he
had wounded birds of this variety of the parrot tribe, their companions
descended upon them with fury, tore out their feathers, and bit and
lacerated them savagely.

Now and again a few wandering emus would cross the grey gum plains
around us, and then, as they caught sight of our figures, shamble
quickly off again. In former years they had been plentiful in the
district, and provided good food for the aborigines when the latter
organised their big hunting parties. But as the country was taken up as
cattle runs, hundreds of the great birds were wantonly shot by white
me