AUSTRALIAN DUCK 
105 
Queensland 
Victoria 
of the present species in Australia. The Emu for the past ten years gives numerous records. I must 
confine myself to a selection of the older writers. Crossman (1909) states that it is common on the 
Salt River, West Australia, and in the same State it is abundant at hloor (Orton and West 
Sandland, 1913), rare at Point Cloates and on the Gascoyne (Carter,^de North, 1913). Australia 
It is a common breeding bird about Derby and the Fitzroy River (Ramsay, 1888; Soderberg, 1919) 
and common in the northwestern areas (North, 1898). In the North Territory it is foimd at Ports 
Darwin and Essington, and on the Gulf of Carpentaria (Ramsay, 1877), as well as on the Mary and 
South Alligator Rivers (Hartert, 1905). How far south it may extend into the interior I am unable 
to say. In Queensland, according to Ramsay (1877), it occurs in the Cape York, 
Rockingham Bay, Port Denison and Wide Bay regions, while Broadbent (1910) 
states that it breeds in Cardwell in the north, and it has also been recorded breeding at Duaringa, 
and on the Dawson River in the southern sections (North, 1913). The same writer states that it is 
very common in New South Wales after the rains and that it breeds in that region. New South 
He states furthermore that a few are found about Sydney, on the George River, at Wales 
Port Hacking, on the Narrabeen Lagoons, at Botany Bay, etc. Ramsay (1877) has recorded the 
species for the Richmond and Clarence River districts and for the interior. It is common and breeds 
also in the Mudgee region (Cox and Hamilton, 1889). In Victoria the species appears 
to be as common as elsewhere on the continent. Ramsay (1877) has recorded it for 
this State and it has been furthermore reported as occurring about Melbourne (Heartland, fide 
North, 1913), as breeding on the Murray River (R. Hall, 1909) and on Lake Boga, as well as on the 
Kow Plains, northwestern Victoria (F. E. Howe, 1910). In South Australia it is a very common 
bird (Ramsay, 1877; WTiite, Mathews, 1914-15) and breeds on Lakes Alexandrina and Albert 
(Mellor, fide Mathews, 1914-15). It is very common in the Dalhousie region (S. A. White, 1913) 
and on the Eyre Peninsula (R. Hall, 1909). According to Eylmann (1911) it is everywhere a com- 
mon breeder in the interior. On the islands of Bass Strait (North, 1913) and in Tas- 
mania also this species is common, and is known to breed (Ramsay, 1877; Holden, 
North, 1913; Fletcher, Mathews, 1914-15). 
Off the east coast of Australia the Black Duck has been found on Lord Howe Island (Ramsay, 
1888) though it appears to occur there only occasionally (Hull, 1909). On Norfolk Lord Howe 
Island it has also been met with (Ramsay, 1888; von Pelzeln, fide Salvadori, 1882) 
and Hull (1909) states that it breeds there. It is a common resident and breeding bird 
in both the North and the South Islands of New Zealand and occurs everywhere 
(Buffer, 1888; Finsch, 1870a; W. W. Smith, 1889; Hutton, 1904). South of New Zea- 
land it is not uncommon on the Auckland Islands (Ogilvie-Grant, 1905b) and probably rare on 
Campbell Island, where it has been found (Gray, fide Salvadori, 1882). East of New Zealand it is 
common on the Chatham Islands (H. 0. Forbes, 1893; Hutton, 1904; Buffer, 1888; Chatham 
Travers, 1872) and presumably breeds there. On the Kermadecs, north of New Zea- 
land, it is a resident species (Cheeseman, 1891 ; Iredale, 1913) and has been found breeding in a high 
crater on Sunday Island in that group (Oliver, 1913). It has been met with also in the 
Tonga Group on Eua (Hubner,^de Salvadori, 1882; Finsch and Hartlaub, 1867) and 
Tasmania 
Id. 
Norfolk Id. 
New 
Zealand 
Tonga Ids, 
on Tongatabu (Peale, Finsch and Hartlaub, 1870a) as well as in the Fiji Islands 
Fiji Ids. 
on Kandavu and Niuafou (Finsch, 1877a, p. 737; 1877b, p. 785), and on Viti Levu (GraSe, fide 
Finsch and Hartlaub, 1867 ; Layard,^de Wiglesworth, 1891). P. H. Bahr (1912, p. 312) states that it 
is growing rare on the Fiji Islands, particularly on Viti Levu. Farther east the species Samoa Ids. 
has been found on Upolu and Tahiti (Graffe,^de Finsch, 1872b, p. 33) in the Samoa 
group, and on Huaheine (Peale, fide Finsch and Hartlaub, 1867; Wodehouse, fide 
Wiglesworth, 1891) in the Society group. It has recently been taken in the Austral 
Islands on Rimitara, Tubuai and Ravavai (R. H. Beck specimens, Whitney South 
Society Ids. 
Austral Ids. 
Rupa Id. 
Sea Exped.). The extreme easterly recorded occurrence appears to be Rupa Island, some distance 
