THE WESTERN AUSTRALIAN NATURALIST

Vol. 21 31st December, 1996 No.2

HISTORY OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF NATIVE FAUNA FROM THE NULLARBOR THROUGH THE EYES OF LONG TIME RESIDENT AMY CROCKER

By]. D. RICHARDS and JEFF SHORT CSIRO Wildlife & Ecology, LMB No.4 PO Midland Western 6065.

The southern coastal region of naturalist, artist and writer, her years Australia was first explored from the of observation provide an account of sea by the Dutch in 1627, the French the region since the early days of inl792, the English in 1802, and finally European settlement, and man's by , who made the influence on the environment. first overland crossing of the Mrs Crocker provided an overview of Nullarbor in 1841. Initial settlement her impressions of the changing of the area followed, with Yalata fauna within her surroundings, with Station established by William Swan a brief letter written the year of her in 1858 near Fowler's Bay in South death. Here follows an excerpt of her Australia. Further settlement did not letter, describing the impact of take place until the 1870's with European settlement, from a lifetime Mundrabilla Station in 1871, Moopina of living on the Nullarbor. inl873, Madura in 1876and Balladonia in 1880 (Allen 1987). One of the early settlers of this area, Amy Eda Crocker was born in Albany, "Balladonia Station in November 1902, via Norseman W A 6443 and at only seven weeks of age, My grandfather, Stephen Ponton, voyaged along the southern coast to with his brother William and their Point Malcolm at the eastern border partner, John Sharp, were 'the' ofwhatisnowtheCapeArid National pioneers of this district, having driven Park. Here she began her life on the their sheep and cattle overland along Nullarbor, residing between Cape the coast from Albany in 1873. They Arid and Balladonia Station, until her settled at Point Malcolm for a few death in November 1989. As a keen years until they discovered Balladonia

89 .L...__ Gffi l in 1879. They at once settled here, and Foxes ~a:ve eyes which reflect light it has been my family home ever since. very bnlhantly. So, on moonlit night My parents joined them in 1898, and I they quietly circle the tree in Whi ~ was born in Albany in November the birds camp. And when the bir~ 1902, my mother bringing me home lean forward, they lose their grip s 0 to Balladonia at the tender age of 7 their perch and so drop to the groun~ weeks! Always a keen naturalist, I had or near enough for the fox to grab the help of my uncle William Ponton them. Junior as well. He joined his father, The Goverr:-ment is showing great Stephen, here in 1880. concern trymg to prevent starlings In those days, there were lots of little from gaining a hold in Western Australian animals, even possums, Australia. I wish they had shown the which had gone before my day. My same care and vigilance when foxes uncle told me of a strange virus which made their way across to Western attacked all small marsupials, killing Australia. many species right out. Possums were As I've told you, the fox was not among these. I think this occurred in known here until late in 1917 (rabbits the 1880s or 1890s.I was once told by a came to Balladonia in 1904). One of man from the eastern wheatbelt that the first birds to suffer from foxes a similar virus occurred there, but was the curlew or stone plover. They unfortunately I did not know his were caught and killed easily and name. within a few years were all gone. Plain turkeys used to feed freely here, but Of the few animals which survived, I they too have gone, only coming back knew the bilbies well. Theywerefairly in good seasons when there is plenty numerous until late 1917 when foxes of green grass, but they do not stay became established in our district. long and never nest here now. Spotted native cats were also about, Babblers, whose long, stick nests were though not so numerous. so common have all gone too. I miss The introduced fox, is to my mind, these cheeky, noisy birds with their the greatest pest in Australia. People deep, scolding voices and sharp of little experience say the domestic whistles. Mallee hens have gone too, cat gone wild is a pest- perhaps they although we meet with one lone are, in certain localities, but speaking traveller occasionally. for this district and from my own In the early 1920s, my brother-in-law personal knowledge, wild cats were was Postmaster at Eyre's Sandpatch. hereagood30years before foxes came, My uncle often took us to see my and we still had our own little sister's family there. When travelling animals. We still had wrens and such­ at night we were amused by the like birds, nesting on or near the number of little rat-kangaroos ground-but since foxes, we have lost jumping across the road in the car all these creatures, as well as many of lights. Such great leaps for such a small our large lizards and our natural bush animal! There were lots of other snails. Foxes are even able to get young running and hopping little creatures magpies and squeakers [grey too, but they have all gone now. Foxes currawongs]from their roosting place are responsible for these. But we had in tall trees. some other little burrowing creatures

90 here at Balladonia, in the very early distribution of foxes originally days, before foxes. They were called followed the spread of rabbits. "I don't Boodie rats, and I believe they were think anyone realises that doesn't live about the size of a small rabbit. I never out in these places how bad the foxes saw them, as the virus had killed them are .. .if it's not a good season, and the all before my time, but they made ewes are a bit weak, they get tired of huge warrens which can still be seen guarding their lambs and the foxes today, in the limestone ridges. They just take them". dig deep and under great slabs of Predation and competition by feral limestone. When rabbits came in 1904 animals are commonly regarded as they found ready made homes in the primary contributors to the decline Boodie warrens, and use them to this and extinction of native species day. (Jarman 1994). Although Mrs Another strange little mouse-sized Crocker's story is anecdotal and we animal we used to have, was one can never be certain of the precise which collected the round, hard species to which she refers, it provides stones of the jamberry or quandong some early record of the impact of (Wild Peach). These have very nice foxes and rabbits. Her dates kernels and the little mouse took approximate those already known them in its forepaws, and having a for the introduction and spread of pair of very strong teeth in the front foxes and rabbits, with rabbits first lower jaw, they would rotate the nut recorded in the region around 1896 against these with their paws and eat (Stodart and Parer 1988) and foxes first a large round hole enabling them to reported 160 kilometres west of the eat the kernel. I have some of these South Australian borderin 1915 (Long nuts but I never saw the mouse, 1988). though I've looked carefully in The time of disappearance of the hollow trees for them where many of burrowing bettong or 'boodie rat' the stones were stored. But I think (Bettongia Iesueur), is of a more they were all gone before my time uncertain nature. Burbidge (1995) and my uncle agreed with me. We suggests that their disappearance had the Possum Dormouse until a from Western and Central Australia few years ago, but I've not seen one coincided with the spread of the fox. for some years. While it had disappeared from Amy E. Crocker." Victoria by 1863 (Burbidge 1995), it Mrs Crocker contributed additional persisted in the wheatbelt of Western information about introduced Australia until as late as the 1940s animals during an interview with (Kitchener and Vicker 1981) and Chris Jeffery from the W A Oral possibly in the Northern Territory History Programme in 1978. She relates until the 1960s (Finlayson 1961; that "The rabbits did an awful lot of Burbidge et al. 1988). The last record damage because they ringbarked the from the Nullarbor region is from trees ... they just simply cut them, and Rawlinna in 1928 (Short and Turner cut them down until they killed 1993). Mrs Crocker suggests that they them .. .And the foxes ... killed out most had already become extinct prior to of our little marsupials [and] our the introduction of foxes in the ground birds." She believes that the Nullarbor region, due to some "strange

91 virus". Shortridge (1909) also reports a Rats' (thought to be the Brush-ta'l w disappearance of species first noticed Bettong) prior to 1938 (Brooker l~?~d ct in 1880, thought to be caused by a All of these animals are now regard ). (tv disease which "appeared to be a kind as extinct in the Nullarbor region ed to Australia (Strahan 1995), the first t:f of marasmus". 0 Sf Feral cats rate a brief mention. The being extinct on the Australi N time of the first introductions of cats mainland. Carlisle records the 1:n fr to Australia is unknown, with some sightings of the Brush-tailed Betto~t B: evidence suggesting that it may have and Native Cat on the north-wester g K been prior to European settlement Nullarbor in 1938 (Brooker 197~ VI. (Dickman 1993). It is possible that the Boscacci et al. 1987). ' ge spread of cats brought potentially It is likely that Mrs Crocker's referenc tl fatal parasites and diseases such as to "other running and little hoppin e Ct toxoplasmosis (Lenghaus et al. 1990; creatures" may include the Wester~ st Obendorf and Munday 1990) in Barred Bandicoot and Stick-nest Rats \'\ contact with the native fauna which seen by Carlisle. The Western Barred S1 could account for the mystery virus. Bandicoot was last collected at Ooldea tv Toxoplasmosis is recognised as a to the east of the in fl "common cause of death in captive 1922 (Kitchener and Vicker 1981) and S( and wild Australian marsupials" Rawlinna in Western Australia in A (Reddacliff et al.1993). 1929 (Friend 1990). The Greater Stick­ a1 The "rat-kangaroos" which survived nest Rat was formerly distributed tl until the 1920s were almost certainly across the semi-arid and arid zones of E the Brush-tailed Bettongs (Bettongia Australia (Copley 1993) but had tl penicillata). These were known to occur become rare by the middle of the 19th tl across the Nullarbor region and have century and then only survived on tl persisted in the south-west of the mainland where sheep and cattle (l Western Australia in isolated pockets, had not become established 11 despite the presence of foxes. Bilbies (Robinson 1995). They were last h (Macrotis lagotis) were common collected in the Nullarbor region in 11 throughout the arid and semi-arid the 1930s (Copley 1993). (1 zones of Australiauntiltheearly1900s There is some evidence that the b Oohnson 1995) and still remain in Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus t Central Australia. Their decline is concinnus) resided in the Nullarbor (1 thought to be due to a number of region around Eyre (R.A.O.U. 1982), t factors, including introduced which may have been Mrs Crocker's i ) predators Oohnson 1995). "Possum Dormouse" (Smith 1995). c A. ]. Carlisle, another long-term Larger passu ms (T richosu rus vulpecula) ~ resident of the Nullarbor region, are known from fossil evidence to reported that a major decline in have occurred in this area but are now mammal species occurred in the 19 30s. rare in central Australia (Baynes 1987; He recalls observing 'zebra rats' How and Kerle 1995). The Western (thought to refer to the Western Mouse(Pseudomys occidental is) has been Barred Bandicoot Perameles associated with accumulations of bougainville), Stick-Nest Rats (Leporillus chewed quandong (Santalum conditor), Rabbit-eared Bandicoots or acuminatum) nuts (Whisson and Bilbies(Macrotis lagotis),and 'Grass-nest Kitchener 1995). The nuts are found

92 with the kernel extracted by a "small indeed decreased in abundance in the chewed hole in the hard seed casing" Balladonia region since the (Morris et a1.1993), in a similar fashion introduction and spread of foxes and to that described by Mrs Crocker. The feral cats. species no longer occurs in the The "natural bush snails" are most Nullarbor area, but past distributions likely to be from the Bothriembryon from fossil evidence include the genus, with white, high-spired shells Balladonia region (Whisson and and commonly 20 to 30 mm long. Kitchener 1995; Baynes 1987). The Other native snails of the region are WesternQuollorNativeCat(Dasyurus smaller and unlikely to be noticed by geoffroii) was widespread throughout people or foxes (Johnson, M. S. e the Nullarbor in the early 19th University of W A pers comm.). g century but has now declined to a The use of oral history to reconstruct small area in the south-west of 1' the past environment is a useful tool s Western Australia (Serena and (Burbidge et al.1988). The collection of :1 Soderquist 1995). information from reliable sources a Malleefowl (Leipoa ocellata) were should be documented while the 1 formerly abundant across the ability to do so still exists. While :1 , southern and central mainland of accuracy may be questioned, there is 1 Australia (Priddel and Wheeler 1994) also a wealth of information that is and were patchily distributed across reliable, particularly when the :1 the Nullarbor in the Cape Arid to opportunity arises for verification by ,f Eucla area (Storr 1987). They nest on a number of alternative sources. :1 the ground and their decline during h the last century has been attributed ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 to predation by foxes and feral cats e (North 1917; McColl 1929; Griffiths Thanks to John and Jackie Crocker of :1 1954), as well as other factors such as Balladonia Station for their habitat loss and fragmentation (Frith permission to publish Mrs Crocker's [1. 1962), and changes in fire regimes letter, and to Jacqui Pemberton, (Benshemesh 1992). The Australian Esperance Department of e bustard (Ardeotis australis) or "plain Conservation and Land Management l5 turkey", is also a ground-nesting bird and the Esperance Shire Council for If (Grice et al. 1986), still occurring their assistance in providing historical ), throughout the arid zones of information about the Nullarbor 's Australia (Blakers et al. 1984) and region. The Battye Library of Western ). common in good years on the Australian History provided access to !) Nullarbor Plain (Storr 1987). The bush interview transcripts. Special thanks 0 thick-kneeor "stone plover" (Burhinus to Michael Brooker of CSIRO Wildlife IV magnirostris) has not been recorded in & Ecologyforhisinputin researching 7; this area (Storr 1987). White-browed oral histories, past Nullarbor residents, [1. Babblers (Pomatostomus superciliosus) records of mammals and birds from n are still found across the Nullarbor the Nullarbor region, and critical 1f (Blakers et al. 1984). It is possible that comments on manuscript drafts. We n thick-knees occurred across the are also grateful to Lesley Brooker, d NuUarbor and probable that all these Denis Saunders and Graeme Smith d birds mentioned by Mrs Crocker have for reading the manuscript.

93 ~ REFERENCES Department of Conservation and jEFFERY ALLEN,]. 1987. Land-use history. pp Land Management, Australian AmY Cn 25-28 in, A Biological Survey of the National Parks and Wildlife Service Board of , . ' Nullarbor Region South and Western Library < Australia in 1984. Eds, McKenzie, N. L., BROOKER, M. G.1977. Some notes on Program and Robinson, A. C. South Australian the mammalian fauna of theW estern GRICE, Department of Environment and Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia. SHORT Planning, Western Australian Western Australian Naturalist 14:2-15. distribl Department of Conservation and BURBIDGE, A. A. 1995. Burrowing Bustard Land Management, Australian Bettong. pp 289-291 in, The Mammals Conserv; National Parks and Wildlife Service, of Australia. Ed. Strahan, R. Reed GRlFFll Adelaide, South Australia. Books, Chatswood, New South Wales. Iowan c BAYNES, A. 1987. The original BURBIDGE, A. A., JOHNSON, K A. Wales. 1 mammal fauna of the Nullarbor and FULLER, P.]. and SOUTHGATE, R. 1: KITCH southern peripheral regions: evidence 1988. Aboriginal knowledge of the 1981. Ca from skeletal remains in superficial mammals of the central of in the cave deposits. pp 139-151 in, A Australia. Australian Wildlife Research 1895 t< 15:9-39. MuseUl Biological Survey of the Nullarbor 1 Region South and Western Australia COPLEY, P. B. 1993. Draft recovery HOW, in 1984. Eds, McKenzie, N. L., and plan for the Greater Stick-nest Rat Comm Robinson, A. C. South Australian (Leporillus conditor). Report submitted 275 in,' Department of Environment and to the Australian Nature Straha1 Planning, Western Australian Conservation Agency Endangered NewS< Department of Conservation and Species Program. Department of ]ARM1 Land Management, Australian Environment and Natural Resources impac National Parks and Wildlife Service, South Australia. ' comp1 Adelaide, South Australia. DICKMAN, C. R. 1993. Raiders of the ecosys BENSHEMESH, ]. 1992. The last ark: cats in island Australia. Contr conservation ecology of the AustralianNaturalHistory24:44-53. 1 Weste malleefowl, with particular regard to FINLAYSON, H. H. 1961. On central Semit fire. PhD Thesis, Monash University, Australian mammals. Part IV-The Cow a Melbourne. distribution and status of central R., E BLAKERS, M., DAVIES, S. ]. ]. F. and Australian species. Records of the South Cons< Austr REILLY, P. N. 1984. The Atlas of Australian Museum 14:141-191. Australian Birds. Melbourne FRIEND, ]. A. 1990. Status of JOH1'- University Press, Melbourne. bandicoots in Western Australia. 188 in Strah BOSCACCI, L.]., MCKENZIE, N. L. and Pages 7 3-84in, Bandicoots and Bilbies. New KEMPER, C. M. 1987. Mammals. pp Eds, Seebeck,]. H., Brown, P.R., Wallis, 103-137 in, A Biological Survey of the R. L. and Kemper, C. M. Surrey Beatty KITC Nullarbor Region South and Western & Sons, Chipping Norton, Australia. 1981. Australia in 1984. Eds, McKenzie, N. L., FRITH, H.]. 1962. Conservation of the in tt and Robinson, A. C. South Australian mallee-fowl, Leipoa ocellata Gould 1895 Department of Environment and (Megapodiidae). C.S.I.R.O. Wildlife Mus< Planning, Western Australian Research 7: 33-49. LEN

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95 REDDACLIFF, G. L., HARTLEY, W. ]., during the Blaston Expedition of DUBEY.]. P. and COOPER, D. W.1993. 1904-1907. Proceedings of the Zoologic 1 Pathology of experimentally­ Society of London 1909:803-848. a induced, acute toxoplasmosis in mac­ SMlTH, M.]. 1995. Western Pygmy­ ropods. Veterinary]ournal 70:4-6. possum. pp 213-214 in, The Mammals ROBINSON, A. C.1995. Greater Stick­ of Australia. Ed, Strahan, R. Reed nest Rat. pp 560-561 in, The Mammals Books, Chatswood, New South Wales. of Australia. Ed, Strahan, R. Reed STODART, E. and PARER, I. 1988 Books, Chatswood, New South Wales. Colonisation of Australia by th~ SERENA, M. and SODERQUIST, T. rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus(L.). Project 1995. Western Quoll. pp 62-64 in, The Report No. 6, CSIRO Division of Mammals of Australia. Ed, Strahan, Wildlife and Ecology. R. Reed Books, Chatswood, New STORR, G. M.1987. Birds of the Eucla South Wales. Division of Western Australia. Rec SHORT, ]. and TURNER, B. T. 1993. W est.Aust. Museum. Supple. No. 27. · The distribution and abundance of the Burrowing Bettong (Marsupialia: STRAHAN. R. 1995. The Mammals of Australia. Second edition. Reed Books Macropdoidea). Wildlife Research 20: Chatswood, New South Wales. ' ' 525-534. SHORTR1DGE,G.C.1909.Anaccount WHISSON, L. and KlTCHENER, D. J. of the geographical distribution of 1995. Western Mouse. pp 613-614 in Bo the marsupials and monotremes of The Mammals of Australia. Ed' thl south-west Australia, having special Strahan, R. Reed Books, Chatswood' in reference to the specimens collected New South Wales. ' ' do sh re~ pa Fa ' be Be li~ ac ar L1 st SI S\ p I tl

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