94



Mr. Alfred J. North,



Grey Teal (N. gibberifrons). The Pink-eared Duck ( Melacorhynchus

membranaceus ) is noteworthy for the singularity of its typical nest,

a rounded or oval-shaped structure, about a foot in diameter, of

dark slaty-grey down plucked from the breast of the parent bird.

The rarer and aptly-named Freckled Duck ( Stictonetta ncevosa ) must

not be overlooked, nor the Musk Duck ( Biziura lobata), with a

leather-like lobe depending from the centre of the under mandible,

which is much larger in the male than the female. It is a solitary

species, frequenting the inlets of the coast and the rivers and lakes

inland, and although many be found in the same bay or lake, seldom

two are seen close together. It is a poor flier, and its journeys are

always performed at night. Near Sydney it may be occasionally met

with, usually in summer, in Botany Bay, on the secluded waters of

Hen and Chickens Bay, and Lane Cove, and farther afield at

Narrabeen Lake.


The Order Columbce, besides the beauty of form and plumage

of many of its species, also contributes its share to the markets

and poulterers’ shops of the metropolis, as all are edible ; but notice

can only be taken of a few of them. The Wonga Pigeon ( Leucosarcia

picata) at one time, either alive or dead, might frequently be seen

exposed for sale in the city shops. For years past, however, it has

been a forbidden delicacy, having been absolutely protected by an

enactment which remains in force till 1924. It chiefly frequents the

coastal districts and contiguous mountain ranges, and the nearest

place to Sydney where occasionally it may be met with, is at National

Park. Scarcely less sought after for sport and table purposes is the

Bronze- wing ( Phaps chalcoptera) , more plentifully distributed about

thistle-beds and acacia scrubs in central and western New South

Wales. Another toothsome species is the Partridge Bronze-wing

(Geophaps scripta ) or “ Squatter,” at one time a common inhabitant

of the plains of the western district, but now rarely seen, driven

away by the ever-increasing flocks of sheep and rabbits, or killed by

domestic cats run wild, and foxes, or by poisoned baits. The Harle¬

quin Bronze-wing ( Histriophaps histrionica), a species chiefly

inhabiting of late years, the northern, central, and western districts,

appears now occasionally in these parts in immense flocks in an

unusually wet season following a prolonged drought. When it does



