•Vol. XXII, 

 1928 



] .Mc(;ilJ', IVa-ds of Lake Frame Pistrlrl. 243 



ni^'-ht vvith the remains of a ba^- of bait, which I scattered close to 

 their camp in the dark. The following- day they cleared out, and the 

 birds were left to rear their young. The aboriginals claim that the 

 Swan will continue to lay eggs so long as they are removed from 

 the nest as long as the water lasted in the lake. I would not vouch 

 for this. I camped about a mile from the island, and just after 

 sunrise something disturbed the Swans from the water; the roar 

 made by their wings striking the water, in their clumsy effort in 

 rising resembled the rear of a heavy sea, a rushing gale of wmd, or 

 an express train some distance away. 



An.seranas semipalmata. Pied Goose. — A party of eleven is the 

 only record; seen on stock tank for one day only; disappeared during 

 night. 



Ana.s superciliosa. Grey (Black) Duck. — Common in good seasons, 

 generally a few residents on stock tanks, bores, etc. Breeds freely; 

 nest made of a few thin twigs and leaves in a depression under sam- 

 phire, polygonum, on islands in lakes. No hollow trees in vicinity. 

 Breeding season after first rainfall in year sufficient to fill lakes. A 

 few resident birds nest in reeds and rushes of pei'manent springs; 

 these nest in September or October. Clutch from 6 to 8 eggs; eggs 

 in nest usually partly covered wnth down. 



Chenonetta jubata, Maned Goose; Dendrocygna eytoni.f Plumed 

 Whistling Duck; Virago castanea,* Chestnut-breasted Teal; Virago 

 gibberifrons. Grey Teal; Spatula rhynchotis.f Blue-winged Shoveller; 

 Malacorhynchus membranaceus. Pink-eared Duck; Stictonetta 

 naevosa,- Freckled Duck; Nyroca australis. White-eyed Duck; Oxyura 

 australis,* Blue-billed Duck; Tadorna tadornoides. Chestnut-breasted 

 Shelduck (Mountain Duck). 



All these Ducks have been identified at one time or another. Those 

 marked * recorded for first time in May, 1918, have not appeared 

 since; 1918 was a record year for rainfall, and all the small lakes 

 were filled. Those marked f are rarely seen except in good seasons. 

 All the others appear in great numbers in suitable conditions, and 

 also in small numbers on stock tanks, springs and bore streams. 

 Very few indications of breeding have been noted; the waters are 

 not suitable, as they have few lai-ge trees and little polygonum near 

 them. Young of the Mountain Duck, Grey Teal and Pink-ear Ducks 

 have been noted on several occasions, and those of the Wood Duck 

 once only. These were all unable to fly, and prove that these Ducks 

 breed in the district. In good seasons the waters teem with Ducks 

 and Water Fowl of all descriptions, but w^hen a dry period arrives 

 few remain. The Wood Duck has appeared in smaller numbers of 

 late years, but in May of this year I was surprised to see them in 

 hundreds on waters just south of this district. I had never seen so 

 many together before. 



The Chestnut-breasted Teal is quite a distinct species from the 

 tSrey Teal, and I have only one record of a specimen on Wattakilla 

 Lake on May 11th, 1918. There were a few with thousands of other 

 species of Ducks on the water. 



Biziura lobata. Musk-Duck. — Not plentiful, except in year 1918. 

 Have no record of its nesting in district. Single birds, usually males, 

 often seen in stock tanks. They fly away during night. Have never 

 been able to make it rise in daytime, though have often caught one 

 in shallow tanks with the help of wire netting; one particular bird 

 I carried home alive a distance of six miles. It did not attempt to 

 fly out of trap, though it was free to do so. I put it in a 10,000 gallon 

 iron tank, the water being only within ?> feet of top. It remained 

 there, diving and swimming round until nightfall, but next morning 

 our "smelly" pet had gone. It could not have climbed out, as the 

 sides of tank were of plain sheet steel. 



(To be Continued.) 



