12 Field Notes on Virago Oastavea and Virago Gibberifrons. 



the bright sunlight with great brilliance. The female always 

 shows the rufous tinge more or less on the breast. These birds 

 do not move about in large flocks in South Australia; about a 

 dozen is as many as I have seen in one locality. If they can 

 get it they prefer a stony or gravelly beach to the soft muddy 

 swamps. I have seen them swimming in deep water off a rocky 

 shore, but have never seen them diving for their food, although 

 I have an idea they do so. They have a great liking for rest- 

 ing on boulders and rocks, thus, I think, the origin of the 

 name "Mountain Teal." About '16 years ago, during a big 

 drought in the interior, thousands of ducks visited the Reed- 

 beds, and amongst them was a fair sprinkling of the teal under 

 notice. This is the only time I have known them to visit the 

 swamps here. They seem to prefer the large open waters, and 

 frequent the rocky shores if there be such. There is no doubt 

 John Gould took these two species to be one, for he speaks 

 of having met them in great numbers, Handbook, Birds of Aus- 

 tralia, Vol. II., p. 365. He goes on to say that it is very rare 

 that a male is killed in the nuptial dress, and he is induced to 

 believe that it is not assumed until the bird is two or three 

 years old. One can understand Gould must have been very 

 puzzled seeing so few of the Chestnut coloured birds in com- 

 parison to the Grey birds. 



Virago gibberifrons nests in great numbers in the in- 

 terior during wet seasons; many hundreds nesting together 

 amongst the salt bush and Polygonum swamps, but I 

 have never heard of the Chestnut species nesting 

 with them. Only a few nests of the latter have 

 ever come under my notice, and they were placed in hol- 

 low limbs of trees. I have seen many nests of Grey Teal in 

 trees, and here at the Reedbeds they once nested nearly every 

 year, but never once did I see V. castanea nesting. In Feb- 

 ruary, 1912, my wife and I made a trip to Lakes Alexandrina 

 and Albert, and spent some little time on the waters there 

 making very many useful observations. We were very for- 

 tunate in having the services of Mr. Fred Ayres, a man who 

 has passed the better part of his life shooting game for the 

 market, and he has a wonderful store of knowledge pertain- 

 ing to the habits of the wild fowl. I was very pleased to find 

 that my observations were confirmed in reference to these 

 teal. While we were on the lakes and amongst the swamps 

 along their shores we saw vast flocks of V. gibberifrons, but not 

 one V. castanea, and when I mentioned this to our guide he at 



