BUSH ANIMALS--BIRDS--SNAKES.
THE 'POSSUM--A NIGHT'S SPORT IN THE BUSH--MUSQUITOES--WATTLE
BIRDS--THE PIPING-CROW--"MINERS"--PAROQUET-HUNTING--THE SOUTHERN
CROSS--SNAKES--MARSUPIAL ANIMALS.
A favourite sport in Australia is 'possum-shooting. The Australian
opossum is a marsupial quadruped, living in trees and feeding on
insects, eggs, and fruits. Its body is about twenty-five inches in
length, besides which it has a long prehensile tail, with which it
clings to the branches of the trees in which it lives. Its skin is
covered with thick fur, of a uniform smoky-black colour, tinged with
chestnut, and it is very much sought after because of its warmth and
beauty.
The proper time for 'possum-shooting is at night, when the moon is
nearly at her full, and one can see about almost as well as in the
daytime. Even Venus is so bright that, on a night when the moon was
absent, I have seen her give light enough to drive by.
A well-trained dog is almost indispensable for scenting the 'possums
and tracking them to their tree, beneath which he stands and gives
tongue. When the dog stands and barks, you may be sure there is the
"'possum up a gum-tree." I never had the good fortune to be
accompanied by a well-trained dog; but only by young ones new to the
sport.
We had, therefore, to find and sight our own game. This is done by
looking carefully along each branch, with the tree between you and the
bright moonlight; and if there be a 'possum there, you will see a
little black furry-like ball, motionless in the fork of a limb. On the
first night that I went out 'possum-shooting with a party of friends,
we trudged a good way into the bush, and searched the trees for a long
time in vain.
At length the old colonial who accompanied us, coming up to a large
tree, said, "Ah! here is a likely place;" and we began carefully to
spy the branches; "There he is," said the colonial, pointing to a limb
where he said the 'possum was. At first I could make out nothing. But
at last I spied the little round ball. He fired, and the animal fell
to the ground dead.
A little further on we searched again and found another. Now it was my
turn. I took steady aim at the black object between me and the moon,
and fired. Looking through the smoke, I saw Joey hanging on to the
branch by his tail; and in half a minute more he dropped to the
ground. I found that this was one of the ring-tailed species, the top
of the tail being bare for about two inches, and formed like a white
ring. 'Possums of this sort use their tails for climbing, like the
spider-monkey of Africa. I found I could carry my ring-tailer hanging
on to my finger, even after he was quite dead.
The next 'possum fell wounded from the tree, and took to his heels,
with the little dogs after him; and they settled him after a short
fight. Sometimes the 'possum, after being hit, will cling a long time
to the tree by his tail, with his body hanging down. Then the best and
lightest climber goes up to shake him down, and he soon drops among
the dogs, which are all excitement and ready to fall upon him.
Occasionally he will give them a good run, and then the object is to
prevent him getting up another tree.
Proceeding on our search, we found ourselves on some low swampy
ground, where there were said to be abundance of 'possums. But I had
no sooner entered the swamp than I was covered with musquitoes of the
most ravenous character. They rose from the ground in thousands, and
fastened on my "new chum" skin, from which the odour of the lime-juice
had not yet departed;[10] and in a few minutes I was literally in
torment, and in full retreat out of the swamp. Not even the prospect
of a full bag of 'possums would tempt me again in that direction.
In all, we got seven 'possums, which is considered a very small bag.
There is a practised sportsman in the town who goes out with a
well-trained dog, accompanied by a horse and cart; and he is
disappointed if he does not bring home quite a cart-load of fur.
When we had got done with our sport, and resolved on wending our way
homewards, I had not the faintest idea where we were, or of the
direction in which we were to proceed. Of course, near the town there
are plenty of tracks, but here there were none; and there is such a
complete sameness in the bush that I wondered that even my experienced
friend should be able to guide us back. But he had no difficulty in
finding the way, and we were soon tramping steadily along under the
bright moonlight, the straggling gum-trees looking more gaunt and
unshapely than usual,--the dry twigs crackling under our feet; and we
reached the township long after midnight.
On another occasion I accompanied the Maryborough doctor into the bush
to shoot wattle birds for a pie; but we did not succeed in getting a
pieful. I have an idea that the gay-coloured dress of a young lady who
accompanied us frightened the birds away. There were plenty of birds
about, but very few of the sort we wanted--a bird as large as a
pigeon, plump and tender to eat. The doctor drove us in and out among
the trees, and had once nearly turned us all perforce out of the
buggy, having got his wheels locked in the stump of a tree.
The speckled honey-suckers, yellow and black, chirped and gabbled up
among the trees. The leather-heads, with their bare neck and ruffle of
white feathers, almost like so many vultures in miniature, gave out
their loud and sudden croak; then lazily flapped their wings and flew
away to the next tree. Suddenly there is heard the single cry of the
bell-bird, just like the ringing of a glass bell; while far off in
the bush you could hear the note of the Australian magpie or
piping-crow, not unlike that of a silver flute, clear, soft, and
musical. The piping-crow is, indeed, a clever bird, imitating with
wonderful accuracy the cries of other birds; and when tamed it is
exceedingly amusing, readily learning to whistle tunes, which it does
extremely well.
Another day, I went out shooting with the Presbyterian minister, an
enthusiastic taxidermist, now occupied in making a very nice
collection of Australian birds. We had a gay time of it in the bush
that day. There were plenty of grey and black mina-birds, or "miners,"
as they are called here, chattering away in the trees in groups of
four or five. They are a species of grakle, and are lively and
intelligent birds, some of them possessing a power of imitating human
speech equal to any of the parrot tribe. They are very peculiar
looking, grey in the body, with a black dab on the head, and a large
bright yellow wattle just behind the eye. We pass the "miners"
unmolested, for the minister tells me they are "no good" if you want
eating, whilst as specimens they are too common.
Then there are the tiny grey wrens, sitting about in scores,--so small
that an English wren looks monstrous beside them. Across the sunlight,
and away over a hollow, there flies a flock of green and yellow
paroquets, screaming as they fly. The brilliant colours of their wings
flash and glitter as they come from under the shadow of the trees. Now
we stalk a solitary piping-crow from tree to tree; but no sooner do
you get near enough to take a pot shot at him than he pipes his note,
and is off. The only way of getting at him is to proceed cautiously
from bush to bush; but even then, so shy a bird is he, that it is very
difficult to bag him.
There is a flock of great white sulphur-crested cockatoos clustered up
in a high tree. Can we get a shot? They seem to anticipate our design,
for on the moment they rise and wheel overhead with elevated crests,
uttering their shrill hoarse cries. These are the fellows that
occasion our farmers so much trouble by eating the freshly-sown grain.
Then look! on that branch are twenty or thirty lovely little swift
paroquets, with green and dark blue wings tipped with yellow. They are
climbing in and out of the scant leafage, under and over the limbs of
the tree, hanging on by their claws; and they only rise if they see us
near enough to take a shot at them, when they take to wing screaming,
and fly away in a flock.
Once, when I had gone out parrot-potting, with another young fellow
almost as green as myself, we had very nearly got bushed. We had been
following up a flock of Blue Mountain parrots--handsome birds--of
which we wanted specimens for our collection. After some slight
success, we turned our way homewards. The sun was just setting.
Marking its position in the heavens, we took what we thought was the
right direction. There were no tracks to guide us--no
landmarks--nothing but bush. After walking for some time, and looking
again at the light of the sky where the sun had gone down, we found
that we had made a circuit upon our track, and were walking exactly in
the opposite direction to our township. We hastily retraced our steps,
for we knew that it would soon be dark, as the twilight is so short in
Australia. Fortunately for us, it was a very clear night, and as the
stars came brightly out we saw before us the Southern Cross high up on
our left, which guided us on our way. Had it been a cloudy night, most
probably we should have had to spend it in the bush; but, thanks to
the Southern Cross and good legs, we at length, though late, reached
our township in safety.
There are sometimes snakes met with in the bush, though I saw but few
of them, and these are always ready to get out of your way. The
largest fellow I saw was drawn out from under the flooring of a
weather-boarded hut on the hill-side above Majorca. I was coming down
early one morning from the school-house, when I stopped at the hut to
speak with the occupant. It is a very tidy little place, divided into
two rooms--parlour and bedroom. The parlour was pasted all over with
cheap prints reminding one of home, mostly taken from 'Punch' and the
'Illustrated London News.' Photographs of old friends were also hung
over the mantel-shelf. The floor was neat and clean; the little pot
was simmering over the little fire, and all was getting ready for
breakfast. A very pleasant picture of a thriving emigrant's home.
As I was standing outside, about to take my leave, casting my eyes on
the ground, I saw beneath the bench close to the door a long
brownish-grey thing lying quite still. I at once saw that it was a
snake, and snatched up a billet of wood to make a blow at him; but my
friend, who had more experience in such matters, held me back. "Just
wait a moment," said he, "and let me get hold of him." Quick as
thought he stooped down, seized firm hold of the snake by the tail,
and, whirling him rapidly round his head three or four times, he
dashed him against the boards of the hut and let him drop, crushing
the reptile's head with his boot-heel. The snake was four feet six
inches in length, and said to be of a very poisonous sort.
Snakes are much more common in the less cleared parts of the colony,
and fatal snake-bites are not infrequent. The most successful method
of treatment is that invented by Dr. Halford, of Melbourne, which
consists in injecting a solution of ammonia into a vein dissected out
and opened for the purpose. This is said at once and almost completely
to destroy the effects of the poison. Since my return home I observe
that Dr. Halford has been publicly rewarded for his discovery.
Kangaroo-hunting is one of the great sports of Victoria, but it was
not my fortune to see a hunt of this sort. There are now very few, if
any, kangaroo in this immediate neighbourhood.[11] Yet there is no
lack of marsupial animals of the same character: the opossum is one
of these. There is also a small kind of kangaroo, called the wallaby,
which, though I have not hunted, I have eaten. And wallaby stew is by
no means a bad dish: the flesh tastes very much like venison. Indeed,
the marsupial animals of Australia are of almost endless variety,
ranging from a very tiny animal, no bigger than our field-mouse, to
the great old-man kangaroo, which measures between seven and eight
feet from the nose to the tip of the tail. The peculiarity of all this
class of animals, from the smallest to the largest, is the marsupium,
or pouch, in which the females carry their immature young until they
are old enough to shift for themselves. The kangaroo is almost
confined to Australia, though several species are also to be met with
in the neighbouring islands.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 10: It is said in the colony that the musquitoes scent out
each "new chum," or fresh importation, by the lime-juice he has taken
on board ship; and that, being partial to fresh blood, they attack the
"new chums" in preference to the seasoned inhabitants.]
[Footnote 11: There is a Hunt Club at Avoca, that hunts kangaroo. The
animals abound north of the Murray River; and some parts of the
unsettled country in Gipps Land still swarm with them.]