72 ANATIN'.-E. 



also foiwauiin;,: you two odd egs,'s. The one rnarl^ed (A) I took' myself from a nest in the top of 

 a dead tree truiilc, at Ilopkin's Hill, near Chatsworth, N'ictoria. The opening,' of the nest was 

 the top of the tree trunk', and the entrance had to be enlarged with a tomahawk' ; the e^tis, eleven 

 in number, were about three feet from the entrance. Mr. R. H. I'. I food, on Merran;,' Station, 

 Hexhani, \'ictoria, tells me he once found a nest of the Mountain Thick with twenty-two e'^^'s, 

 which he left, and also saw a pair with nineteen younj^. I ha\e seen seventeen youni; myself 

 with a pair. In one of my paddocks there is a very salt slow runnin<j creek, and the Mountain 

 Ducks remain all the year. I do not know of another place where they do this, and in the same 

 paddock one of their nests was once found on the f^'round in a ,i;rass marsh." Seven ei^tjs of the 

 above set of eight measure: — Length (A) 2-73 x 2 inches ; {F>) 2-84 x 1-92 inches; (C) 273 

 X 1-98 inches: (D) 2'58 x 1-83 inches; (E) 2 SS x 1-97 inches; (F) 2-84 x 2-02 inches; (G) 

 2'72 X 1-96 inches. 



In South-eastern Australia and Tasmania July and the three followini; m.^nths constitute the 

 usual breed! n" season. 



Tadorna rufitergum. 



WHITE-HEADED SHELDRAKE. 



Tadurwi n,<r,ah, Gould, Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. VII , pi. S (1848); id. ll^udhk. Bd':. Austr., Vol. 

 IT., p. SliO (180.1); Salvad., Cat. Bcls. Brit. Mhs., Vol. XXVfl, p. 175 ( 1 80,5) ; Sharpe, 

 ITukTI. Bd.s., Vol. I., p. •21.''. (ISfi'.t). 



Taihii-iin i-fvljuli riifitiryinn, Hartert, Nov, ZooT, Vol. XII., p. 'JO."! (ISO'i/ 



Adult M.ALE. — Maiifh\ upprr hack ami scupiilars ricli chesinuf, crossed >i'lf/i mirriiir transccrsc 

 hlackistli lines, somr id tin lanji-r scapulars and ter/inis hroicnishddark, the inner ivehs of llie hitler 

 rieli cliesfiiul .■ centre nf tin hack hlnck, null/, narmn' transi'erse u-liitisli lin-'s: Imcer back, rump, 

 npprr tail-corerts and tail hiack ; upper ioiu(/-corerts white, the, greater s''ries crossed near their tips 

 u'ith II narroir hlackish. band ; prhna.ries and priniarij-corerts black : ivinr/ spi'dihiin on the secondarii's 

 uliissi/-i/ri'i n, bordered brioir and brhind irilh binrk ; inner iri-hs an I ti/)s of si-condnrii's irhite : liead, 

 it'ck, breast and abdonun while, the npper breast crossed by a narrow chestnut band iiidistinrthj 

 barred irilh blnckisli transverse lines ; lower flanks and under tail-corerts brownish-black rerinicniated 

 with n-lntii-hrutrn : bill jlesh ij-white : leijs and fi^el white : iris /rhile. 7'otal biiylh .20 inches, nnng 

 m:.',. tail .7, /,)// 1-7, tarsus 2-1. 



Adult FKMALK. Similar in plnmni/e tn the male. 



Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory of South .\ustralia, Queensland, 

 New South Wales. 



^^TIE range of the White-headed Sheldrake e.xtends over portion of Noith-western .Australia, 

 the Northern Territory of South Australia, Queensland and the northern portion of 

 New South Wales. The late Mr. T. H. Bowyer-Bower obtained specimens near Derby, in 

 North-western .Australia, Captain W. Chambers procured it at Port Essington, and the late 

 Mr. E. Spalding at Port Darwin, and it has been found breeding near the Daly River, in the 

 Northern Territory. In Queensland it has been obtained by various collectors in different parts 

 of the State, of the skins in the .Australian Museum Collection i\Ir. K. Broadbent procured 

 specimens at Cardwell, and the late Mr. J. Rainbird numerous examples at Port Denison. In 

 1901 - I added this species to the avi-fauna of New South Wales, as a flock of about fifteen birds 



* Vict. Nat.. VoT XVII., p. 18S (igoi). 



