^"S"! .AIACGILLIVRA^', .litstraliau Pelican. 165 



mostly I'ink Ears {Malacor/iyficliits iiiciiibrcDiaccits) , with broods 

 of young of various stages of growth ; this species has been nest- 

 ing since early spring. Here the nests were mostly in hollows 

 of trees usually at a low elevation from 1 to 6 feet from the 

 water, occasionally as much as 20 feet. . 'J'he clutches are always 

 moderate, from five to eight, and the eggs well enveloped in 

 down. Teal {Virago (jibberifrons) are next in point of numbers, 

 and have also young of all ages. Their nests range to a greater 

 elevation than those of the Pink Ears, and the clutches are 

 slightly larger, rarely more than ten or twelve. 



A few Grey Ducks (Anas superciliosa) and Australian White- 

 eyes (A^yroca austral is) w'ere also noted. Maned Geese were 

 more plentiful than earlier in the summer, and in flocks the loud 

 "Gnaroo" call of the female moix frequently heard than the 

 subdued tones of the ganders. 



Early in the sjiring, Dr. Chenery and I met with a number of 

 Freckled Ducks (Sticfonetta ucevosa) paired for breeding pur- 

 poses on Menindie Lake. These birds were wonderfully tame, 

 swimming round about our boat without showing any fear and 

 allowing a close inspection. The male is larger than the female, 

 and further distinguished by a crimson patch across the base of 

 the mandible. Both sexes have a small top-knot or knob on the 

 head. They prefer to nest in lignum or cane grass, and left 

 Menindie Lake to nest elsewhere wdien the rising waters sub- 

 merged all the lignum. 



The White-eyed Duck also prefers lignum or cane grass to 

 nest in, and usually lays larger clutches than any other Duck. 

 Dr. Chenery and I found them nesting in the flood waters of 

 Cooper's Creek in 1920 with large clutches of 15 to 18 eggs: 

 we saw one young brood of 25, and several of 15 to 18 w^ith 

 their parents. Since then Dr. Chenery has verified this obser- 

 vation on some swamps on the Darling. 



Continuing through the swamp we flush at intervals White- 

 necked Herons {Notophoyx pacifica) and W^hite-faced Herons 

 (Blue) {N. novcc-hoUandia-) from nests containing either eggs 

 or young birds. All through the sw'amp and along the creek 

 Darters (Anhinga novcc-hollandicn) have their bulky stick nests 

 draped with overhanging gum leaves placed on horizontal green 

 or dead limbs. Most of these nests contain from three to five 

 young birds. Naked when hatched, they soon acquire a covering 

 of creamy white down. Older birds sitting bolt upright in their 

 nest with wing and tail feathers sprouting are still clothed in 

 creamy down with head and neck fawn-coloured. These larger 

 young are suspicious of us, and flop out of their nests into the 

 water, where they disappear to put up head and neck only, about 

 30 yards away, and disappear again immediately. Wlien all 

 danger is passed, they climb out on some sloping tree trunk or 

 snag, where their wants are attended to by the parents; several 

 young birds were seen by us in such situations. The old birds 

 are on every dead tree or snag sunning themselves with out- 



