Journey to Central Australia in search of the Night Parrot
Journey to Central Australia in search of the Night Parrot
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澳大利亚中部之旅寻找夜鹦鹉
DOI：
10.1071/mu923248
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通讯作者：
F. Whitlock
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作者：
F. Whitlock
INTRODUCTIOI‘.大约在1922年年底，芬克河上亨伯里车站的经理罗伯特·巴克先生和阿德莱德的尼尔·麦克吉尔普先生在火车上相遇，成为去阿德莱德的同行者。麦克吉尔普向巴克询问了夜鹦鹉在澳大利亚中部被发现的可能性。巴克回忆说，在帕尔默河附近放牛时，有一只鹦鹉，符合麦克吉尔普的描述。已经从豪猪草丛中冲了出来。麦吉尔普先生意识到自己抽不出时间亲自寻找这只鸟，于是将这一信息转给了新南威尔士州贝尔特里斯的H~L·怀特先生，他资助了许多探险活动，寻找稀有和新物种的鸟类，从而丰富了鸟类学知识。1923年2月，维特先生写信给我，问我是否愿意寻找这只难以捉摸的夜间活动的鹦鹉。我承认我有点犹豫，因为我总是认为探索这些干燥的内陆地区或多或少是一场赌博，在那里有利季节的机会和不利的机会都倾向于不利。但我意识到，如果怀特先生愿意冒险承担探险的经济负担，那我就得尽自己的一份力。事实证明，这是我为怀特先生承担的最长、最艰巨的任务。3月6日，我离开家，乘横贯大陆的铁路前往阿德莱德，我原本希望在那里与麦克吉尔普先生见面。不幸的是，他未能及时从穆拉瓦塔纳车站返回。我是在罗斯三月到达奥德纳达塔的，福格蒂先生和公司为我安排得很好，三天后我就可以动身去北方了。他们聘请了Houssian Sureen作为司机，Houssian Sureen虽然有一个外国名字，但出生和教育都是澳大利亚人。豪森的妻子也以厨师的身份陪同了我们一段时间。七头骆驼被用来骑马、运送物资和阻碍。因此，我省去了许多烦恼和麻烦，我对Fogarty and Co的F·琼斯先生表示感谢。许多小说都是关于骆驼如何美丽地适应沙漠，它在沙子中轻松旅行，以及它不喝水的能力。真正的事实是，骆驼在松散的沙子中挣扎，并像马一样受到沙子的阻碍。除非经过特殊训练，否则骆驼每天都会喝水；如果他在炎热的天气里两天以上不喝水，他就会陷入困境。我可以衷心支持斯宾塞和吉伦在他们的作品中写下的阿里。
INTRODUCTIOi\'. About the end of the year 1922, it chanced that Mr. Robert Buck, manager, of Henbury Station, on the Finke River, and Mr. Neil McGilp, RAOU, of Adelaide, met in the train as fellow-travellers to Adelaide. Mr. McGilp questioned Mr. Buck as to the probability of the Night-Parrot being found in Central Australia. Mr. Buck recalled the fact that in moving cattle near the Palmer River, a Parrot, answering to Mr. McGilp's description.. had been flushed from the Porcupine-grass. Realising that he could not conveniently spare the time to prosecute a search for the bird himself, Mr. McGilp passed on the information to Mr. H~ L White, of Belltrees, NSW, who has financed many expeditions in search of rare and new species of birds, and ornithological knowledge has been made richer thereby. In February, 1923, Mr. VVhite wrote to me asking if I would undertake the search for this elusive nocturnal Parrot. I confess I hesitated somewhat, as I always consider it more or less of a gamble to explore these dry interior regions, where the chances for and against a favourable season lean to the adverse. But I realised that, if Mr. White was willing to risk the financial burden of'the expedition, it was" up to me" to do my part. The undertaking proved the longest and most arduous I have undertaken on Mr. White's behalf.I left home on March 6th, travelling over the transcontinental line to Adelaide, where I had hoped to meet Mr. McGilp. Unfortunately, he was not able to return from his station at Moolawatana in time. I reached Oodnadatta on roth March, So well had Messrs. Fogarty and Co. arranged things for me that I was able to leave for the north three days later. They had engaged as driver Houssian Sureen, who, though bearing a foreign name, was Australian by birth and education. Houssian's wife also accompanied us for a time in the capacity of cook. Seven camels were engaged for riding, carrying stores and impedimenta. I was thus saved much worry and trouble, for which I feel grateful to Mr. F. Jones, of Fogarty and Co. Much fiction has been written about the beautiful adaptation of camel to the desert, the ease with which it travels through sand, and its powers of abstention from water. The real facts are that a camel flounders through loose sand, and is impeded by it just as much as a horse is. Unless he is specially trained, a camel, given the opportunity, wiII drink every day; and if he goes without water in hot weather for more than two days he is in distress. I can heartily endorse alI that Spencer and Gillen wrote in their work." Across Australia," about the manners, or,