52 



Order CHENOMORPH.^. 



Sub -order An seres. 



Family ANATID^. 



Sub family CYGNIN^. 



Gen-U-S CHEHSrOX^IS, Wagkr. 



Chenopis atrata. 



BLACK SWAN. 



A,MK atrata. Lath , Ind. Orn., Vol. II., p. 834 (1790). 



C,'/yi'i's atratus, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VII., pi. 6 (184S). 



Chenopis atrata, Gould, Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol. II., p. 3IG (ISe.'"!) : Salvad., Cat. Bds. Brit. 

 Mus., Vol. XX VII., p. 4 (1895;. 



Chenopsis atrata, Sharpe, Handl. Bd.s., Vol. I., p. 208 (1899). 



Adult m.\le. — General colour above aiiet beloir hroirnish-hlack, slightly paler on the hri'ast ami 

 ahdomen, the inargins of tJie feathers of the hack greyish-Jrroivn ; primaries aiitl secondaries jnire 

 white : terliaries black, crimped and slightly curled ; bill purplish-red, the tip pale -pink, separated 

 by a broad irhite band ; legs and feet leaden or blackish; iris bright brick-red. Total length in the 

 flesh JfO inches, nung 1S--I, tail 5, bill 2'S, tarsus -J'S. 



Adult fkmalk. — Similar in plimiage to the male. 



Distribution. — North-western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South 

 Australia, Western Australia, Islands of Bass Strait, Tasmania. 



IiJVXCEPT in the extreme northern portions, the Black Swan has been recorded from 

 — ^ nearly all parts of the Australian Continent. .Mthough in Queensland Mr. |. A. Boyd 



has observed only 

 three examples dur- 

 ing a sixteen years 

 residence in the Her- 

 bert River District, 

 it may be gathered 

 from this fact that it 

 is there of exceeding 

 great rarity. So, too, 

 is it on tlie opposite 

 side of the continent, 

 Mr. Tom Carter 

 noting it during some 

 seasons as far north 

 as Point Cloates in 

 North-western Aus- 

 tralia, yet it was not 

 obtained as far north 

 as Derby, in the large 



BLACK SWAN. 



