Speaking of feather’d tribes in myriads. Prompted by David’s poem I was looking for an 1800s article I’d seen about ducks on Lake George, but instead I came across this, a different one, by coincidence from 1875. It touches on water depths
and waterfowl in that year. Only about a quarter of it is reproduced here.
From: Canberrabirds
<> On Behalf Of David McDonald (Personal)
Sent: Monday, 9 February 2026 2:27 PM
To: Canberrabirds list <>
Subject: Re: [Canberrabirds] '... the feather'd tribes in myriads ...'
Thanks Rob. 1875, when the poem was published, was one of the highest water levels on record.
The graph below is ‘Annual maximum water depths (m above lakebed) recorded at Lake George for the period 1820–2019’ from Short, MA, Norman, RS, Pillans, B, De Deckker, P, Usback, R, Opdyke, BN, Ransley, TR, Gray, S & McPhail, DC 2020, 'Two
centuries of water-level records at Lake George, NSW', Australian Journal of Earth Sciences, vol. 68, no. 4, p. 16.
Best wishes – David
From: Rob
Geraghty <>
Sent: Monday, 9 February 2026 1:37 PM
To: 'David McDonald (Personal)' <>
Subject: RE: [Canberrabirds] '... the feather'd tribes in myriads ...'
Thanks for sending this to the list. It’s fascinating to see the old verse. I wonder if Lake George used to be full more often in those days?
From: Canberrabirds
On Behalf Of David McDonald (Personal)
Sent: Sunday, 8 February 2026 5:53 PM
To: Canberrabirds list <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] '... the feather'd tribes in myriads ...'
Greetings. The foreshores of Lake George/Weereewa are popular birding spots.
Here is a little poem about the lake, published in 1875. It alludes to the lake’s birds. The poet was James Gillespie (1844-1926) from Gininderra (sic). He was a prolific newspaper correspondent, usually using
the nom de plume ‘The Wizard’. In this case he provided the initials of his name.
Gillespie, J 1875, 'Original poetry: Lake George', Queanbeyan Age, 29 May 1875, p. 4,
http://nla.gov.au/nla.news–article30598264.
LAKE GEORGE.
Majestic lake of water !
Thou little inland sea :
From thy high and, rocky mountain shore,
I gaze with awe on thee!
I gaze in silent wonder,
As one lost in a trance;
While on thy sheeny surface
The golden sunbeams dance.
What stillness reigns around thee
On a calm summer's day;
How thy blue waters sparkle
Beneath the sun's fierce ray,
And the feather'd tribes in myriads
Sail gracefully along,
Each muttering as he slowly moves,
His own mysterious song.
When the hurricane sweeps oe'r thee,
How thy turbid waters roar,
As thy waves dash wildly onward
'Gainst thy rugged mountain shore!
There's a mystic charm about thee
That fills my heart with glee,
And makes my thoughts to wander T
To the deep and boundless sea.
As I turn to leave thy margin,
A thought steals o'er my mind,
And I dwell with fond remembrance
On the scene I leave behind;
And I ask myself this question
Shall I see thee any more ?
Oh, would that I could ever dwell
On thy rocky mountain shore !
J. G., Gininderra, April 24, 1875
So far as I know he did not win any literary awards for this work!
David
--
David McDonald
1004 Norton Road, Wamboin NSW 2620, Australia
Mobile: 0416 231 890 | Tel: (02) 6238 3706
E-mail:
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