NEW ZEALAND or PARADISE SHELDRAKE 251 



Young in Down: Specimens which I saw in the Leyden Museum seemed to me indistinguishable 

 from young of the Common Sheldrake. Buller's description follows: "Covered with soft down, for 

 the most part pure white, but largely varied on the upper surface with brown; the cheeks, throat, fore 

 neck, and all the under surface entirely white; the top and upper sides of the head, in a line with the 

 eyes, the hind neck and shoulders, a broad mark down the back spreading on the tail, the anterior 

 portion and tips of wings, and a broad patch on each flank, continued in a line over the thighs, dull 

 umber-brown; bill and feet pale brown." 



Remakes: It is probable that all the Sheldrakes have at least a partial double moult. This has 

 been referred to in connection with the Common Sheldrake. In the present species the female has 

 been noticed to assume colors somewhat like those of the male, on the mantle, flanks, scapulars and 

 belly, after the breeding season (Jones, Avicult. Mag., ser. 3, vol. 1, p. 61, 1910). This is interesting in 

 connection with the presence of a more highly specialized plumage in the female sex. 



DISTRIBUTION 



The Paradise Duck is a localized species, being confined to New Zealand. A specimen in the British 

 Museum, reputed to have been taken near Brisbane, Australia, could at best have been but a straggler. 

 In New Zealand the species is far more common in the South than in the North Island, Australia 

 being generally distributed in the former, but apparently more common in the lower South 

 country of the eastern than in the mountainous regions of the western part. Though Island 

 not yet recorded from Stewart Island, it has been found on Resolution Island (Henry, Emu, vol. 

 6, p. 171, 1907), and in the same vicinity at Dusky Bay (Gray, 1862). It has been Resolution 

 found in Mlford Sound (Buller, 1905), and Green (High Alps of New Zealand, Island 

 p. 157, 1883) met with it fairly commonly on the Hooke River; and it is evidently a rather plentiful 

 bird in the Canterbury District, where it has been found on the Upper Waiko (Harvie-Brown, Ibis, 

 ser. 3, vol. 4, p. 96, 1874), on the Canterbury Plains (Finsch, 1870a), on the Rakaia River, Malvern 

 Hills, Potts River, Rangitata River (Potts, 1870), Waimakariri River (Buller, 1888) and in the valley 

 of the Tasman (Finsch, Ibis, ser. 4, vol. 6, p. 401, 1882). In the Marlboro District it was formerly 

 plentiful, though it is now becoming rare (Buller, 1905), and in earlier times it was abundant in the 

 Nelson District also (Haast, Bus, ser. 1, vol. 4, p. 101, 1862). W. W. Smith (1889) says that it is not 

 rare in the Lake Brunner region, and Travers (1872) found it at Guyon. 



In the North Island the species was never common excepting in the southern parts. Buller (1888) 

 states that in his day it was abundant in the Wairarapa and Ruataniwha plains (Wellington Dis- 

 trict) and it seems to be common still in parts of that province (Handly, Trans, and North 

 Proc. New Zealand Inst., vol. 28, p. 365, 1896) as in the Maruia Forest (Fulton, ibid., Island 

 vol. 40, p. 499, 1908). Buller (1888) fixes its northern limit on the east side, as the Petane District, 

 39° south latitude, but according to Layard (R>is, ser. 1, vol. 5, p. 245, 1863) it was common there 

 about Napier. On the west coast of the North Island, it is very rare, a few having been met with near 

 the mouth of the Ohau, and specimens having been taken on the Wanganui race-course. The most 

 northern records are those for Lakes Taupo and Rotomahana, and the unusual record for the Kaipara 

 region, north of Auckland (Buller, 1888). Hutton (B)is, ser. 2, vol. 6, p. 398, 1870), however, states 

 that it is occasionally seen in the southern parts of the Auckland District. 



GENERAL HABITS 



Haunts. This species is closely related to the Ruddy Sheldrake, which it resembles 

 in its habits. It is essentially a fresh-water species, and "delights to live in the open 

 country, near broad river beds composed of shingle and sand, or on grassy flats near 



