1034 ^'£STS AND EGGS OF AUSTRALIAN BIRDS. 



of a sequestered lagoon, he will often be rewarded by a sight that will 

 gladden his heart. There is a flock of fine Black Ducks. Most of them 

 are in repose, some are standing on logs preening their quills, some are 

 posed on one leg with head behind their wing, and a few in playful mood 

 are darting and diving and spraying water into the air. What a pity 

 to niai' the peace of such a pleasant pictiu'e ! In an instant, at the 

 discharge of the right ban-el of the gun, the scene changes into splashing, 

 quacking, and a burr of feathers. Two or tlu-ee birds tumble off the 

 log and straggle in the water, never more to rise, and ere their mates 

 get fairly away the left-hand ban-el brings down another brace. Soon 

 tho Ducks reach the far end of the long lagoon, and puffs of white smoke 

 appear from behind the line of lai'ge red gums, where the shooter's 

 companions have stationed themselves by arrangement. Completely 

 noni>lussed, the Ducks wheel, and some fall to the earth. When the 

 flock retm-ns past the lii-st shooter, they keep well out of gunshot 

 range, and, with a final wheel, flying high and very rapidly, they pass 

 up the river, or on tO' a distant lagoon. 



I have been present at the finding of many Wild Ducks' nests. 

 As Gould ti-uly states, the Duck, in its choice of a breeding place, seems 

 to be influenced by circumstances. The first nest which I have distinct 

 recollections of finding contained twelve eggs. It was situated on the 

 ground, where we fluslied the Duck among the branches of a fallen tree 

 at a considerable distance from the nearest river (Goulbui-n) ; date, 4th 

 October, 1887. On the Mun-ay frontage, 2nd December, 1890, I found 

 a set of eleven eggs on the ground in a sUght hollow, encircled with a 

 light baud of grass and down. Another nest discovered the following 

 day among tliistles, about thirty paces from the river, contained 

 thirteen eggs, with a good warm circle of down about them. In a 

 subsequent season (6th November, 1892) a nest was pointed out to me 

 snugly liidden in tall gi-ass at the base of an orange tree in an orchard by 

 the river. The nest, with its ten eggs encircled in down, made the 

 subject of a photograph, which is here reproduced. 



The most recent Wild Duck nesting I hnve enjoyed was in the com- 

 pany of Mr. J. Gabriel, when we wei-e the guests of the Messrs. 

 Macaulay Bros., Riverina, during the big September flood of 1894. We 

 found various Ducks la3ring in hollow trees. One nest of the Black 

 species was in the trunk of a red giun tree standing in a stream. The 

 entrance-hole was about nine feet above the water, and the clutch of 

 nine eggs was about three feet down tlie barrel in a quantity of down. 

 One of the eggs was abnormally largo, and contained a double yolk. 

 Another ne.st was similarly situated at the height of about twenty feet, 

 the eggs (also nine in number) partly inculiated, being about a foot 

 in from the entrance. The sitting bird, on being disturbed, flow out 

 and lodged for a moment on the water before flying down the creek. 

 Mr. Rod. Macaulay, at considerable inconvenience, was good enough to 

 swim into tho swirling creek, and climbed, almost naked, witli a basket 

 on his back, to botli of these awkwanliv-siluated nesting places in order 

 to cnricli our collections with the eggs. Two other Black D\u-ks' nests, 

 with incomplete sets, were seen in trees. In one ease the eggs were 

 exposed, being in a liollow at tlie (op of a tall stump, and the Ravens 

 took them. 



