64 



CIIENONETTIN*. 



name of the " HawUesbury Duck," from the locality in which lie stated it was at that time 

 common. Subsequently he characterised it in tiie same year in the Supplement to his " Index 

 ( )niitholo;.;icus " as Amis jiihata. 



This species has a peculiar call note which, when once heard, renders it at once easy to 

 distinguish, even a Ion;,' distance away. 



Mr. J. A. Boyd, while resident at Ripple Creek, Herbert River, North-eastern Oueensland, 



wrote me as follows under date 14th Sep- 

 tember, 1888 : — " A few weeks ago I saw 

 three Wood Ducks, and bagged two of 

 them ; during six years duck shooting 

 here I have never come across any before." 

 Writing again later he remarks : — " I shot 

 a Wood Duck on the i8th April, 1892, a 

 very rare bird here." 



From Cobborah Station, Cobborah, 

 New South Wales, Mr. Thos. P. Austin 

 wrote : — " The Maned Goose (Chcnonctta 

 luhatt! I is usually plentilul throughout the 

 district, especially after the breeding 

 season is finished, when they congregate 

 in large flocks, and give good shooting 

 to the sportsmen. They, however, take 

 more shooting than any of the Ducks, not 

 that they are a faster bird on the wing, 

 but because they are so much more diffi- 

 cult to kill. To have good results in 

 shooting them one requires No. 2 shot, 

 whereas for other Duck shooting 1 prefer 

 Nos. 4 and 6 shot. Its call note is rather 

 remarkable, being loud and clear, and can 

 be heard a long way ofl, especially when 

 llying. They do not call out conspicuously 

 when llying in flocks, but just one bird 

 at a time, and at intervals of about ten 

 second.^ : sometimes they fly silently, 

 especially in open country. When flying 

 low through timber one is at least calling 

 out, and from watching my pet ones I 

 noticed it was always the female which 

 did so; the males are very silent. Although 

 they are mostly found near water, seldom 

 in it, more often upon a log or on a nice 

 green patch of grass, and yet again upon 

 the bank of a dam, where there is nothing growing. When disturbed they usually fly round a 

 few times, then settle either in dead trees or in water ; if the latter they give a few low cackling 

 grunts and then swim for the dry land. Long before the breeding season they pair off, and one 

 pair will occupy the same locality for some weeks, then for a while only one bird will be seen, 

 wliich has become very tame, usually the male, although both hiids help with the incubation. 

 Where they breed in great numbers one pair of old birds will sometimes take possession of 



CUTTING INTO A MANK.I) GOOSB S NESTINO-PLACK. 



