364 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



rally clothed in a sombre-coloured dress ; neither do the sexes 

 offer sufficient difference of colour by which the one may be 

 distinguished from the other. Arms of the sea, rivers with 

 sedgy banks, lagoons, and water-holes are its favourite places 

 of resort. I met with it often and under every variety of 

 circumstance, sometimes in flocks, at others either singly 

 or in pairs, and not unfrequently in company with other 

 species. The tameness of its disposition depends much upon 

 whether the locality has or has not been frequented by 

 man ; in some of the rivers in Recherche Bay in Tasmania 

 and others in the interior of the continent of Australia, 

 which are rarely visited, it evinced much less shyness than 

 when observed on the waters of the populated districts. It 

 is everywhere either a stationary species or subject to very 

 partial migrations. In the choice of a breeding-place it 

 appears to be influenced by circumstances, sometimes depo- 

 siting its eggs among long grass and sedges, and not un- 

 frequently resorting to hollow spouts and boles of trees for 

 the same purpose. Nine eggs, taken in September from the 

 hollow part of a tree at Moore's River in Western Australia, 

 were of a dark cream-colour, two inches and a quarter long 

 by one inch and five-eighths broad. 



Head very dark brown ; a narrow line above the eye, a 

 broad stripe from the bill beneath the eye, and the throat 

 buff ; sides of the neck striated with buff and dark brown ; 

 all the upper surface, wings, and tail rich brown ; the feathers 

 narrowly margined with buffy brown ; tips of the greater 

 wing-coverts velvety black ; speculum rich deep glossy green, 

 bounded posteriorly with velvety black ; under surface brown, 

 each feather edged with pale brownish white ; bill light bluish 

 lead-colour; irides bright hazel; legs yellowish brown, with 

 darker webs. 



The above is the description of a male; the female, as 



before stated, is very similarly coloured. 



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