Birds of Melville Island. 107 



Nest. This was built in a three-pronged fork of a Paper- 

 bark tree that had fallen into the creek and was still 

 growing. It consisted of a platform o£ Paper-bark twigs 

 with the centre covered with finer twigs. The eggs were 

 placed in a slight depression. It was about two feet above 

 the level of the water and was partly hidden by leafy 

 branches. The platform measured 14 inches by 10^ and was 

 6 inches thick in the centre. 



Eggs. Clutch two to three, white ; axis ■42 mm., diameter 

 35. 



Breeding-season. December and January. 



This species was fairly numerous, but very wild and hard 

 to obtain ou account of the vegetation in the swamp. 



57. Anseranas semipalmata. Pied Goose. 



Anas semipalmata Latham, Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. vol. iv. 

 1798, p. 103 : Hawkesbury River, New South Wales. 



First seen passing over on the 20th of November ; after 

 that many flocks went by every evening. They were plentiful 

 in the great swamp. Owing to the crocodiles [Crocodilus 

 porosus) not many eggs are found on the Island, though 

 they breed abundantly on the mainland. 



58. Cheniscus pulchellus. Green Goose-Teal. 



Nettopms ■pulchellus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1841, p. 89 : 

 Port Essington. 



This species was very numerous on the edges of the great 

 swamp and on Jessie Creek in December. They perch in 

 trees regularly and may even breed in holes in them. Those 

 shot on the 10th of January, 1912, had eggs in the ovaries 

 as large as haricot-beans. Their note is a fairly loud 

 whistle. 



59. Dendrocygna javanica gouldi. Whistling Duck, 

 Dendrocygna guuldi Gould, Handb. Birds Austr. vol. ii. 



1865, p. 374 : Port Essington. 



A few were seen from October to December. On the 

 10th of January, 1912, a large flock passed over. 



