NliSTS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 102 1 



Subfamily — Cereopsin^. 



745. — Ceheopsis nuvve hollandi-e, Latham. — (578) 

 CAPE BARREN GOOSE. 



Figure. — Gould : Birds of Australia, fol., vol. vii., pi. i. 



Reference. — Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., vol. .\xvii., p. 71). 



Previous Descriflioiis of Egg'- — Gould : Birds of Australia (1S48), 



also Handbook, vol. ii., p. 351 (1S65) ; North : Austn. Mus. 



Cat., p. 334 (iS8()); Cainpbell : Victorian Naturalist (1S94). 



Gengraphiail Dixtrihution. — Victoria, South and West Australia, 

 and Tasmania., inehiding ishinds in Bass Strait. 



Nest. — Somewhat flat, constructed of a good layer of grass, &c., 

 lined inside plentifully with down, and usually situated on the ground 

 amongst saltbush or tussock grass, but occasionally placed a few feet 

 from tiie ground on thick scrub. Dimensions over all, about 18 inches; 

 inside, 9 to 10 inches across by 3 inches deep. 



Eijijs. — Clutcli, four to SIX ; elliptical in form, sometimes rather 

 pointed at either end ; texture of shell coarsi' ; surface, a trifle limy 

 but glossy ; colour, a very thin outer creamy-white coating, on being 

 scratched or otherwise removed reveals a white shell. Dimensions in 

 inches of a proper clutch : (1) 3-03 x 2-16, (2) 2-95 x 2-11, (3) 2-92 x 2-15, 

 (4) 2-92 X 2-14, (5) 2-88 x 2-12. 



Uhscrvations. — This singular and scarce Goose is more terrestiial 

 than aquatic. It inhabits .some of the isolated islands oflt the southern 

 coast of Australia. It occa.sioually visits the mainland, or is driven 

 thither through stress of weather. 



Mr. H. W. Wheelwright recollects seeing Cape Barren Geese at 

 MorcUalloc, Victoria, in the " fifties " — once in a small flock, and again 

 when two pitched among some domestic Geese and were captured. 

 They soon became tame. More recently (season 1898) a small flock 

 alighted near a swamp at the back of William.stown. One fell to a 

 fowler's gun. 



At one time it was thought that the Cape Barren Goose was res- 

 tricted to the islands in Bass Strait, but I was glad to be able to record 

 (in 1890) its presence in Western Australia, having seen birds from 

 Bald Island, near King George's Sound. I have since learnt the bird 

 also exists in Recherche Archipelago, and other islands in the Great 

 Australian Bight. 



Mr. Alfred Crompton, writing from Adelaide, in " Tlie Australasian," 

 says : " The Cape Ban-en Goose is almost common on parts of tlie coast 

 of the mainland here, or visits certain districts frequently. I have 



