New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1890-08-06
THROUGH FERN AND BUSH.
Graphic Description of Some Of the Queen
Sights In Australia.

. y a
writes William Sharp in Harpea's lzoqa-
-staae in an article on the magic of the
bush and motioned me to do likewise.
For few seconds / heard nothing.
then sharp and clear through the
silence rang the crack Of a long whip,
and expected to see some stock-rider,
or perhaps some strayed packman,
issue from the scrub. With a quick
Hush!'' my companion whispered to
me that what had heard was only the
whip bird, and. that what he wanted
me to see was Tyre bird, whose native
note he had heard moment before
/ close at hand. Very shortly a some.
what low but sweet burst OF melody.
though within limited compass, came
from a glade to the left, the greater
part of which was shrouded from sight
by Intricate fern-tree growths; with
rapid transitions the song thereafter
rose and fell. now initiating the joyous
freedom Of the magpie, now the laugh.
ing gurgle Of the jackass, now other
Forest denizens Again silence and
shen right in the midst of the fern
glade saw for the first time bird ]
had often heard of and which I was
anxious to. see. The Tyre bird, OF
mountain pheasant (Menura superba),
tssextremely shy and though by no means
rare in certain districts is thus com.
Paratively seldom seen. In size it
very closely resembles the common
pheasant, and is of an auburn-brown
color; but it would not be specially
attractive bird were it not for the large
and delicately graceful tail-feathers,
which, when fully erected, exactly re-
aemble the instrument after which the
bird is called. Like the shark, and
perhaps the cuckoo, the mountain
4 pheasant is generally accompanied by
n 4 satellite, in this instance the latter
being small, jerky little bird, popu.
( Early called the 'pheasant's mother''-
BUT none such was visible to our eyes
on this occasion. The whip bird, or
eoach-whip bird, Mferred to is gener.
ally heard in the scrub proper and has
received its name from its habit of end.
! ing its loud cry or note with an abrupt
crack like that produced by the long
lash of a stock-Whip.
As we rode on the sun grew higher
and higher In the heavens, and grad.
gal silence crept through the forest With
the ripening noon. The scrub which
had lately been SO full of lite appeared
to be deserted by its noisy denizens,
and only at rare intervals the 1nufaed
chuckle of the jackass broke the still.
hess. Ere long we came suddenly up
on rare sight in an Australian forest,
and few yards farther brought us
:, within the charmed circle, than which
J have seen nothing of the kind more
lovely. Immediately before us lay
quiet pool of an intense azure hue at
I Its center, but with wide margins re-
Gecting the green fern-tree fronds and
all else fowery and beautiful that
grew near; fringing its edges with
4 great quantities of beautiful species
9%of iris; beyond, and forming circular
wall, varying from five to eight or nine
feetin height, were thick magnolias in
magnificent full bloom and whose de.
licious fragrance made the air seem
heavy with sweetness; over these waved
the long, delicate green fonds Of the
tree-ferns and shimmering acacia
sprays, while beyond a glimpse was
+ caught of the SUBMITS Of the lofty
blue-gums darkly silhouetted againstthe
1snrple-blue sky Net 4 breath of wind
stirled leaf or flower; not a sound was
heard save faint, almost inaud1ble,
hum ut regular intervals, or an
occasional subdued rustle-as of
leaf falling to the ground or bird
<lrowsily shifting its position in the
dense green shade Hark! what
was that? Like far-away village bell
q soft sound rings or rather swells
<mellif1uously through the still air, and
now another--a silyery tolling, ex.
yquisitely impressive and even solemn
IN these hushed and lonely solitudes
Wonderfully and at first startlingly
strange as the illusion was I had al.
ready fathomed that was listening TO
the bell OF no forest sanctuary, when
my friend whispered to me: THE bell
bird!" The solemnity of the noon
seemed to deepen, and the promised
vigor of the day TO subside into a
Luxurious dream. Having dismounted
and tied our horses to a tree, we be.
eooE ourselves to an hour or two's mid.
net, and as we lay below huge,
ntreefern lazily smoking, with
of the magnolias in the warm
lie dreamy call Of the distant
rising and falling at solemn
we became drowsy, and
SIS each INDUCED in good deal
,ken sentiment LII so, 1T Ger.
id us no harm. From our rest.
RE on a slope above the pool we
Id just see the blue line of distant
Ange rolling away northward, and be-
hind it some outlying summit of the
misty Bogongs
Morning and evening the Australian
forest is awake; at noon it is asleep.
No greater contrast can be imagined
than between the morning hours and
those Of midday in midsummer. In
the former the very flowers seem to
possess an active existence. Myriads
of such, larger and more brilliant than
those we are accustomed to in our
northern latitudes, load the air with
che sweetest scents. At shutdown
again there is a revival Of life. but not
OF so cheerful disposition. The
tree-locusts in myriads shrek their
deafening 'p-r-r-r-r-r'' drowsy opos.