344 ANATIDffi. 



Hah. Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence Rivers 

 Districts, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, 

 Tasmania, West and South- West Australia. (Ramsay. ) 



Genus MALACOEHYNCHUS, Sioainson. 



MALACORHYNCHUS MEMBRANAOEUS, Latham. 

 Pink-eyed Duck. 

 Gould, Randhk. Bds. Aust., Vol. ii., sp. 590, p. 372. 



" For a member of the Anatidce, this bird certainly selects the 

 most unique spots imag'inable in which to make its nests. The 

 first instance was brought under my notice by Mr. K. H. Bennett, 

 of Yandembah, a most enterprising naturalist, to whom the 

 Australian Museum is indebted for several rare specimens. Mr. 

 Bennett informs me that having occasion to visit anestoi the White- 

 fronted Heron, Ardia novce-hoUandice, he was much surprised to 

 find it much altered in appearance, and from the mass of down 

 which covered the whole of the upper part of the Heron's nest the 

 duck flew off, leaving two eggs, which with the nest have been 

 transmitted to the Museum ; the eggs unfortunately were broken 

 in transit, this deficiency however, is supplied by specimens taken 

 by Mr. Whittell from a similar mass of dark slaty-grey down, 

 which was placed on a flattened portion of a thick horizontal 

 bough about ten feet from the ground, overhanging the water, on 

 the bank of the Darling River near Wilcannia ; in this instance 

 the eggs were six in number of a rich light cream colour, rather 

 pointed ovals. Length (A) 1'85 x 1'3 inch ; (B) 1-82 x 1-3 inch. 

 The beautiful structure above mentioned, sent by Mr. Bennett, 

 consisted of the platfonn of sticks, which formed the nest of the 

 Heron, being thickly covered with down, which formed a rim four 

 inches in height, a large quantity of down xas worked in among 

 the sticks and covered the greater part of the sides, it closed over 

 the eggs above in an elastic mass, quite hiding them." (Brnnsay, 

 P.L.S., N.S. W., Vol. vii., p. 58.) 



