December] MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON 161 1961 The Eyrean Grass-Wren ( Amytornis goyderi) By D. G. and L. R. MORGAN, L. N. and P. A. ROBINSON and D. H. ASHTON.

INTRODUCTION Since the mid-19th Century, when large collections of the skins of Australian birds were made, most of our birds have become much better known. A few have rarely been seen since that time and some have become extinct. One of the least-known species of all the Australian birds has been the Eyrean Grass-Wren (Amytomis goyderi). The original collector recorded the latitude where he collected the only known specimens, nothing else. In the 87 years si nce its original discovery, no further records have been added. Mindful of this, the Council of the Royal Australasian Ornitholo­ gists Union decided to republi sh the original illustration of the bird in The Emu of October, 1923, in the hope that it "may assist explorers, or other observers, to identify the species and report it."< 1l In 1929 Dr. J. A. Leach described it as "amongst the rarest of Australian birds."<2l

HISTORICAL During the 19th Century, particularly in the latter half, explora­ tion of the interior was extended by a number of official expedi­ tions, and also by private individuals. In the early 1870's much of northern and north-eastern South was still unknown. Accordingly, the South Australian Government sent out an expedi­ tion led by J. W. Lewis< 3l to investigate the pastoral prospects to the north and east of . The expedition included a surveyor, an assistant, a cook. three Afghan camel-drivers, two or three local aborigines, and a collector and naturalist named F . W. Andrews. Andrews was an experienced collector<4l and was required to obtain a collection of bird specimens, which he did . The expedition left Beltana, 18 miles south of the present town of Leigh Creek, on October 22, 1874, and travelled along the western side of Lake Eyre to the , then around the northern part of the lake and up the to a point near to the present township of . They returned down Cooper's Creek, reaching Beltana again on July 12, 1875. Some of the country, in Lewis's own words, proved to be " simply fright­ ful." Andrews' bird specimens were submitted to F. G . Water­ house at the South Australian Institute Museum in Adelaide for identification. The details of the collection were published a year later<5l and they included six skins of a previously undescribed species, Amytis ( = Amytomis) goyderi, the Eyrean Grass-Wren. Two specimens had been sent to England, to John Gould, who had named the species,<6l and deposited the skins in the British Museum. 162 MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON [ Bird Watcher

Andrews had failed to supply any notes with the specimens other than a latitude. The only field notes on the birds which he did publish concerned the Night Parrot (Geopsittacus occidentalis).m Though six specimens were originally collected, only three, possibly two, seem to be still in existence. What has happened to the remainder is something of a mystery. Two were sent to Gould, the other four presumably remained in Adelaide. J. B. Cleland in 1937 commented that the four "cannot be traced ... presumably some of the four were placed in the South Australian Institute Museum."<8l He suggested that these "may have been destroyed between 1882 and 1886 when the natural history specimens had been so neglected that such drastic action was taken." However, the last reference to the existence of specimens in came many years later. An account of a meeting of the South Australian Ornithological Association on November 24, 1911 , states that a specimen ofAmytornis goyderi was exhibited from the museum collection.<9l In 1945 K. A. Hindwood discovered in the Australian Museum, Sydney0°) a specimen which was derived from the collection of E. P. Ramsay, who had in turn received it from F. G. Waterhouse, in Adelaide. Hindwood, in a recent com­ munication with D. M . Shanks<1 J) stated that Dr. D. L. Serventy was able to locate only one specimen in the British Museum. Thus no more than three of the original six skins now seem to be in existence. Andrews does not appear to have submitted any field notes. There is certainly no published record of nests or eggs, and most authors state that the eggs are not known.m) However, H. L. White, who had what was possibly the most extensive knowledge of the eggs of Australian birds, commented in a review of A. J. North's Nests and Eggs of Birds found breeding in Australia and Tasmania that North had omitted the description of the eggs ofAmytornis goyderi, although the eggs were known.<13l White had no eggs of this species in his collections.<14l If Andrews did bring back eggs of the Eyrean Grass-Wren, there is no definite evidence of their existence. The exact location at which the original specimens were collected has also caused confusion. The Catalogue of Birds of the British Musewn05l lists a latitude and longitude that was not even visited by the expedition. Apparently this was copied incorrectly from the specimen label, which, according to G . M. Mathews,<16l reads­ "Amytis7 Macumbra, Central Australia. Lat. 27° 41' 23"." Latitude 27° 41' 23" cuts the route of the Lewis expedition in two places near Lake Eyre. One is at a brackish waterhole on the Macumba River, where the expedition had a camp from December 10 to 19, 1874. <17) The other is on the Warburton River near Tuper­ awarrina Crossing, between the present-day Cowarie and Kala­ murina cattle stations. The Lewis expedition passed quickly through this latter area, so there would seem to have been few collecting opportunities, especially for birds as elusive as grass­ wrens. LOCATION OF AREA

Lower Macumba River area showing the route of the party (broken line) . The brackish waterhole appears to be where the first Eyrean Grass-Wrens were collected. 164 MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON [ Bird Watcher

Both areas are fairly similar - normally dry channel systems with coolibah (Eucalyptus microtheca) and acacias on the river flats, while the adjacent sand-ridges of the are covered principally with clumps of cane-grass (Zygochloa para­ doxa)*. The district is extremely dry, with an average annual rain­ fall of less than 5 inches, and an evaporation rate of about 90 inches each year, and is one of the least hospitable parts of Aus­ tralia. Neither area is normally grazed by cattle, and so the possibility existed that the species may have survived, remaining unnoticed because of the remoteness of its habitat. From the British Museum specimen label, and from the history of the expedition, it seemed likely that Andrews had collected the six specimens at or near the brackish waterhole at Lat. 27 ° 41' 23" on the Macumba River, between December 10 and December 19, 1874. There is some possibility they were collected on the War­ burton, but this seems unlikely. (In 1877, F. G. Waterhouse, in writing to E. P. Ramsay, <10> stated that he thought the Grass-Wrens were collected at Kopperamanna, on Cooper's Creek. This would seem to be in error, both from the information on the labels and from the very different habitat at Kopperamanna). There are two reports in The Emu where the authors have made reference to this species. In 1914 S. A. White visited the Musgrave and Everard Ranges, in the north-west of South Australia. During this visit he recorded the Dusky Grass-Wren (Amytomis pumelli) in porcupine-grass (Triodia sp.). He described a second species (location unstated) which " has a thicker bill and is much darker on the upper surface, and the flanks are rich reddish-brown."08) In his view, this may have been Amytomis goyderi. In 1923 F. Lawson Whitlock visited the upper area, in the Northern Territory, for H. L. White. (The Finke flows into the Macumba in times of heavy rain). When returning by camel to , which is not far from portion of the Macumba, Whitlock recorded- "On November 5 we were travelling over the run, some forty miles from Oodnadatta .... Conditions were bad. A remarkably cold wind was blowing half a gale in our faces, and the air was full of particles of flying dust. In passing over the slope of a low hill clothed with saltbush and isolated masses of low dead scrub, I observed two Grass-Wrens. I immediately called a halt, and both Houssian and I jumped down and gave chase. The birds were very wild, and owing to the wind and dust we lost sight of them without getting the chance of a shot. "<19) In his report Whitlock lists these as Amytornis goyderi, the identification being apparently based on locality. *Zygochloa paradoxa was formerly known as Spinifex paradoxus, and is commonly known as "cane-grass." The plants usually referred to in the Inland as "spinifex" belong to the genus Triodia, and are perhaps better­ known as " porcupine-grass." No Triodia is known by the authors for the Lake Eyre district. December] Eyrean Grass-Wren 165 1961

Early in 1960 two of us (D.G.M., L.R.M.) decided to attempt to relocate the Eyrean Grass-Wren. Although evidence pointed to the occurence of the species on the Macumba, the area is extremely inaccessible, and it was considered unwise to attempt entry without a second four-wheel drive vehicle. The Warburton River was much more accessible, being reached by station tracks off the Birdsville Track. The Tuperawarrina Crossing area was searched carefully for several days in September, 1960, and although many bird species of considerable interest were found, there was no trace of the Grass-Wren.

1961 EXPEDITION A year later, a second expedition was organised, this time to the Macumba River, the five members of the party travelling in two Land-Rovers, with a trailer carrying water and fuel. The party left Melbourne on August 24, 1961, arriving at a fresh waterhole on the Macumba River on September 1, after nearly one hundred miles of travelling over the last section under difficult conditions. The route was over largely trackless country, across most inhos­ pitable dry stony hills, and finally extensive dry flood plains, where dust storms and very high temperatures were encountered. On August 31 a maximum temperature of 105°F. was experienced. The party made camp near the southern end of a fresh water­ hole along the Macumba course, known to cattlemen as "Christmas Waterhole" and marked on the military survey map (Australia 1:506,880 Oodnadatta 8 mile: 1 inch) as "Christmas Water." This area was visited by the Lewis expedition, but is not the area named by them "Christmas Waters" which lies over twenty miles further down the watercourse*. The party was about 9 miles from the site where Lewis apparently collected. (See map) . In the absence of any information on the habitat of Amytornis goyderi, all available habitats in the area were investigated. These included flood flats, with coolibah and native willow (Acacia salicina), saltbush (A triplex nummularium?) and sam ph ire (Arth­ rocnemum halocnemoides) flats, and sandhills covered principally by clumps of cane-grass. Slow travelling on the route to the Macumba had severely limited the time available, and only two full days were available to search for the Grass-Wren. Assiduous searching resulted in the location of one bird by one of the party (L.N.R.) towards the end of the second day, in cane-grass near the northern end of the waterhole. *The confusion over these terms is unfortunate. The Lewis expedition applied the term "Christmas Waters" to a chain of fresh and brackish waterholes on the course of the Macumba at lat. 27" 44' 3". This is about 24 miles further down the watercourse from the area visited in 1961 by our party. It appears that mapmakers have confused terms. "Christmas Waters" of the Lewis expedition appears on the military map as "Kulpa­ ku na waterhole," the "Mannarrinna Creek" appears as the " Nardiebuckina Creek," and the fresh waterhole at lat. 27 ° 35' 54" as "Christmas Water." The named "Christmas Waterhole'' used in this paper refers to the water­ hole at lat. 27 ° 35' 54", which name appears to be consolidated by usage. 166 MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON [ Bird Watcher

Departure had been planned for early the following morning, as little time remained for the return journey. However, departure was delayed so that as much information as possible on the Grass­ Wren could be obtained. It was intended to trap a live specimen, using fine mesh nylon mist nets of the type widely used for bird-banding studies. After several hours of intensive searching by the whole party, two adult birds were located in dense clumps of cane-grass, one of the birds being flu shed from a nest that contained two young. With a little effort it was found possible to drive one of the adults into a mist net. To the acute disappointment of all members of the party, the bird went through the net, without apparent difficulty, on four occasions. The ease with which the bird negotiated the .get indicates something of its size, and possibly also an ability to move readily through tangled vegetation. T he net used had the finest mesh available at the time, although experience of some bird banders indicates that the smallest birds, such as the wrens and the Silvereye (Zosterops latera/is) sometimes go through the net.<20l Clearly then, the bird appeared to be slightly smaller in build than a Blue Wren. T he Grass-Wrens confined themselves to the cane-grass, rarely venturing out. Although the birds proved difficult to locate initially, their habit of remaining in the clumps of cane-grass permitted remarkably close observation. It proved possible to go as close to the bird as two feet by getting down on hands and knees beside the right clump and "squeaking." Although this method of study was considerably less satisfactory than having the bird in the hand, it was nevertheless more than enough to enable precise identi­ fication. An attempt was made to photograph the adult bird at the nest. By this time, however, the expedition was badly behind planned schedule, and no further time could be spared although clearly more work remained to be done. After waiting a little over an hour photography was abandoned. The party left the waterhole in late afternoon of September 4, arriving back in Melbourne on September 10. An account of field observations made of the Eyrean Grass-Wren is set out below.

FIELD OBSERVATIONS

I . Description. A description of the size and plumage colouration of the birds was obtained at close quarters and was recorded at the time in a field notebook. In body size, the birds appeared about the same size as the Blue-and-White Wren, perhaps a little longer, but more slender in appearance. T he fact that .it passed so readily through the mist net would suggest a more slender build than in most wrens. How­ ever, its habit of scurrying from one cane-grass clump to another Decen1ber] Eyrean Grass-Wren 167 1961 .

Nest and young of the Eyrean Grass-Wren. The nest was placed in a clump of cane-grass. Plate 37. Photo hy L. N. Rohillson

Habitat of the Eyrean Grass-Wren, Christmas Waterhole. Cane-grass clumps in the foreground and coolibahs around the waterhole in the background. Plate 38. Photo hy D. G. Morgan 168 MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON [ Bird Walcher with wi ngs half spread o ut at the sid es and the tail partly fanned makes the bird appear larger than its true size. Forehead, crown, and nape were greyish-brown, streaked with white, the grey-brown gradually toning to rufous-brown on the nape. Back and upper tail coverts were bright rufous-brown. The streaking continued back from the nape to just below the middle of the back, with none apparent on the rump. T he tail was long and rufous-brown, though not as bright as the back or rump. (The birds appear a distinctly brighter rufous than the illustration of the type specimen suggests). Cheeks were greyish, streaked lighter. Chin and throat white. but breast off-white, with pale rufous on the flanks. F light feathers rufous-brown. Beak short, greyish. T he dark stripe below the eye characteristic of some species of Grass-Wren was absent. The general impression of size was a bird about two-thirds the size of the Western Grass-Wren (Amytornis textilis). When birds moved from one clump to another, the most striking feature noticed was the rufous colouring, reminiscent of the Rufous Bristlebird (Dasyornis broadbenti), with which some of the party are familiar.

2. T-/abitat. The only locality in which the species was encountered was an a rea of dense cane-grass clumps (Zygochloa paradoxa) on sand­ hills extending along the western side of the waterhole. The cane­ grass clumps are mostly about 4 feet high, 5 to 6 feet in diameter, and about 10 feet apart, with bare sand between them. Every time a strong wind blew it scoured out dust and fine sand from between the clumps, some of this settling within the clumps, so that the area showed many sand hummocks and dunelets. Nearly every clump formed the nucleus of a sand hummock. The cane­ grass varied in colo ur, from a pale greenish-grey of young growth to pale rufous-brown old er stems, which became grey on dying. A consid erable part of each clump consisted of tangled dead stems. It was striking to note how well the general colouring of the birds matched the interior of a cane-grass clump, and how strikingly obvious they were against the pale buff colour of sand between the clumps. (Keast\2 1l supposed in a recent paper that the rufous-brown colouring would match red sand. ln fact, no red sand-hills were encountered in the Macumba River a rea). ln moving from one clump to another, the birds scurried very rapidly across the ground, or seemed to half volplane, half flutter, just above the ground. Wings tended to be held out to the sides, as if to keep balance, with the tail fanned slightly and held at an angle of about 30° to the ground. The birds tended to restrict themselves to the cane-grass, moving about low in a clump, or on the ground, by small hops through the tangled growth. with wings held to the sid es and tail at an angle of about 45 ° . They seemed to keep towards the o utside of the clump, but always within cover, not outside it. This habit of December ] Evrean Grass-Wren 169 196 1

remaining within the clump would no doubt materially reduce the danger of predation. A pair of kestrels occupied a coolibah tree nearby, swooping from time to time low over the cane-grass. T hey were seen to capture small lizards which could move surprisingly rapidly from one clump to another. 1t proved very difficult to flush the birds from cover. T hi s could be achieved only by hitting or kicking the appropriate clump, or by jumping on the clump. Birds can be located either by peering carefully into every clump of cane-grass, or li stening for their almost inaudible callnote. The call is a faint two-syllable whi stle " swi-it, swi-it," audible 10 or 12 feet away. The birds seem to call fairly frequently throughout the day, even at midday, when many other species are silent. Tn wi ndy conditions the call is very diffi ­ cult to hear. 3. Associated species. The only other species in cane-grass in the same area were the Crimson Chat (Epthianura tricolor) and the Blue-and-White Wren (Malurus leuconotus) . T he Crimson Chats fed on the bare ground between the cane··grass clumps, nesting in the cane-grass. This species was enco untered fairly widely in cane-grass areas near both the Macumba a nd Wa rburton Ri vers. Blue-and-White Wrens occur in small parties through cane-grass and saltbush on both sandhills and claypans througho ut the entire Lake Eyre district. 4. Nesting. One nest was found near the top of a clump of cane-grass, most of which was dead . T he clump measured 6 feet x 4 feet x 3 feet 6 inches high, the nest bei ng 18 inches above the ground . Sand settling within the clump produces a hummock in the centre. The nest was a semi-domed structure with an opening just to one sid e of the top, facing east. It was almost rounded in shape, the out­ side dimensions being 4 inches in diameter and 4% inches deep. The opening was 1 Yz inches in diameter; the internal cavity 2 inches in diameter and 2~;i inches deep (see photograph). T he nest was of woven construction, consisting mainly of cane­ grass leaves, with a few interwoven cane-grass stems. Included were two small heads of a daisy (Myriocephalus sturtii), and there was a lining of wooll y ha irs from the head of some composite. 5. Young. T here were two chicks in the nest, naked except for dark grey down on the head and wings. T he gape was yell ow and the throat bright yellow. T he eyes were closed at this stage. Careful search­ ing in the nest area did not show a ny traces of eggshell. DISCUSSION As it seems li kely there a re no mo re than three specimens of Amytornis goyderi in museum collections, it may seem to some persons that coll ection of specimens sho uld again be carried out. However, in view of the very small number of birds a pparently in the area, coll ection of specimens might well endanger the survival 170 MORGAN, ROBINSON and ASHTON [ Bird Watcher

of the species. Such action would seem unwarranted, if not des­ tructive. It is difficult to see what would be gained by collection of specimens that cannot be obtained in other ways. There are well-known cases of species being exterminated or nearly exterminated by collectors, and there seems no reason for this to happen in the case of the Eyrean Grass-Wren. The finding of the Grass-Wrens several miles upstream from where they were originally collected in 1874 might suggest a range along the course of the Macumba in this area. The widespread distribution of cane-grass on sandhills throughout the Lake Eyre district might suggest an even more extensive range. However, few clumps of cane-grass are as dense as those in which the birds were found. Apparently nearness to water produces far more luxuriant growth than is normally found in a typical sandhill situation. The adjacent areas of the Simpson Desert, for instance, had an exten­ sive cover of cane-grass, but this was much less dense, providing little cover, and seemed to contain no Grass-Wrens. Cane-grass in the Warburton River area was similar to this. Further investigation is needed before the range of the Eyrean Grass-Wren can be known with certainty, but it does not seem to be extensive. Other species of grass-wren have been recorded elsewhere in the district. In the upper Finke River area, Whitlock found the Thick­ billed Grass-Wren (A. modesta) in cane-grass and porcupine-grass. H. T. CondonC22l records that species 8outh and west of Lake Eyre. T he authors found the Western Grass-Wren (A. textilis) in salt­ bush south of William Creek and near Nilpinna homestead, west of Lake Eyre North, during August, 1961. No observer would be wi se to attempt to identify grass-wrens on locality grounds alone at this stage of knowledge of the genus. SUMMARY A careful study of literature referring to the Eyrean Grass-Wren (A mytornis goyderi) has suggested that six specimens were collected by F. W. Andrews at or near a brackish waterhole (Lat. n o 41' 23" S.) on the course of the Macumba River northwest of Lake Eyre North, between December 10 and 19, 1874. Not more than three of these specimens seem to be still in existence. The authors located the species again in September, 1961, at a fresh waterhole (Lat. n o 35' Long. 136° 46') known as Christmas Waterhole, along the Macumba course, about 9 miles from the original locality. Observations on the appearance of the birds, habitat, habits, associated species, nesting, and possible distribution were made. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors of this paper wish to express their thanks to all those who assisted in many ways in this investigation, especially to Trans-Australi a A irlines, the Division of National Mapping, Department of National Development, and to the Trustees of the M . A. Ingram Trust, who contributed to the cost of the 1961 expedition. December J Eyrean Grass-Wren 171 1961

REFERENCES I. Campbell, A. J. Emu, XXIII: 81. ( 1923) . 2. Leach, J. A. Emu, XXIX: 27. (1929). 3. Lewis, J. W. S. Aust. Pari. Pap. No. JI4. ( 1875) . 4. Cleland, J. B. Emu, XXXVI: 298. ( 1937). 5. S. A ust. Pari. Pap. No. 19. ( 1876). 6. Gould, I. A nn. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. IV, XVI: 286. (1875). 7. Andrews, F. W . Trans. and Proc. Roy. Soc. S. Aust., VI: 29, 30. (1882) 8. Cleland, J. B. Emu, XXXVI: 307. ( 1937). 9. Emu, XI: 221. ( 1912). 10. Hindwood, K. A. Emu, XLIV: 321 -323. ( 1945). 11. Hind wood, K. A. pers. comm. 14/1 0/6 1. 12. Mathews, G. M. Emu, XXXII : 293. ( 1933). 13. White, H. L. Emu, XV: 63. ( 1915) . 14. Campbell, A. J. Emu, XIII: 73. ( 1913) . 15. Sharpe, R. B. Br. Mus. Cat. of Bds, VII: 109. (1883). 16. Mathews, G. M. Birds of Aus/ralia H . F. & G. Witherby, London, (1923). 17. Sutton, J. S. Aust. Om., IX: 116- 131. ( 1927) . 18. White, S. A. Emu, XIV: 189. (1915). 19. Whitlock, F. L. Emu, XXIII : 272, 273. ( 1923). 20. Murray, M. D. & Middleton, W. G. C.S.l.R.O. Bird-banding Circular, 29/5/196 1. 21. Keast, A. Au st. J. Zoo/., 6: 33-52. ( 1958). 22. Condon, H. T. S. A ust. Om., 20: 51. ( 195 1).

Notes on the Plumed Tree-Duck (Dendrocygna eytoni). Forty years ago Tree-Ducks were often observed on Mazzlin Creek which flows through my property, 31/z miles north-east of Atherton, north . Usually the ducks perched on low limbs of bottlebrush (Callistemon viminalis). In those early days much rain forest still remained near the creek which gave good cover for these wary birds. With the clearing of the land for crops and pasture the habitat became too open and the ducks had to find sanctuary elsewhere. In December, 1960, I observed a flock of 17 Plumed Tree-Ducks ci rcling the creek in the vicinity of my wi ndmill. Later the ducks landed on the creek which now affords good cover, the vegetation having been re-establi shed in more recent years. When I reached the creek I was fortunate to get an excellent view of the ducks as they perched on a low limb of the bottlebrush. After I had observed them for some time they became uneasy and flew down stream. For several evenings the birds frequented the creek area and their whistling notes were plainly heard as they circled over nearby irrigated pasture. T he flock left the area during late December, 1960, and has not returned. Early in January, 1961, my son, who lives on the other side of the creek, informed me that he had seen a strange duck or goose on the edge of the. road which crosses the creek, but before he could identify the bi rd, it disappeared among the nearby dense bushes. During Februa ry I located the duck further up the creek where it was swimming on a quiet pool which also has good cover