216 NYROCA AUSTRALIS 



The species apparently is less common in Victoria, excepting on Lake Boga, where it is said to be 

 „. . abundant and to breed (A. C. Stone, 1912). Barrett (1920) met with it on Wilson's 



Promontory, and F. E. Howe (1910) as well as Chandler (1920) have reported it from 

 northwestern Victoria. 



On the lower Murray and about Lakes Alexandrina and Albert, South Australia, it is a well-known 

 bird (S. A. White, 1914a; Mellor, in Mathews, 1914-15; Belchambers, in litt.). It has been reported 

 South from Balah (Sandland, in Mathews, 1914-15) and from Port Lincoln (North, 1913). 



Australia ]\j r Reese writes me that it breeds near his place at Marree in the interior, but S. A. 

 White (1914) states that it is not common in the interior. He saw only a few at Dalhousie Springs 

 and Lindsay Creek. He also noted some in the Gawler Ranges (S. A. White, 1913). 



Gould (1865) describes it as a common bird in Tasmania and Legge (1905) found it abundant on 



T . Great Lake and along the Derwent, breeding near Bridgewater. According to Littler 



(1910), however, it is a comparatively scarce bird, occurring chiefly along the Derwent. 



It is by no means a common species in New Zealand, occurring on the North Island along the lower 



Waikata, where it breeds, and on Lake Rotomahana (Hutton, 1870; Buller, 1888). On 

 New Zea- 

 , . the South Island it has been found on Lake Ellesmere and about Canterbury, as well 



.... as on Lake Wairarapa, Otago (Buller, 1888, 1905). Hutton (1870) found it not un- 

 AucKland . . . _. _ 



common in the interior of Auckland Island. 



The Leyden Museum possesses specimens of this species taken by Marie on New Caledonia and 



one was taken on Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides (Sarasin, 1913). The northwesternmost 



,_ . . records of its occurrence are those for Arfak (northwestern New Guinea) and Waigiu 

 Melanesia . . . . 



(Rothschild and Hartert, 1894), and for Lindoe Lake, Paloe district, western Celebes, 



where Mr. H. C. Raven took a specimen on March 26, 1917, now in the United States National 



Museum. 



GENERAL HABITS 



This close ally of the European White-eye is one of the commoner game ducks of 

 Australia, and is scattered all over the continent, wherever fresh-water pools exist. 

 It is said to prefer timbered lakes (R. Hall, 1909) and is seldom seen on rivers or 

 creeks except, of course, on their back waters (Hutton, 1870), and even less often on 

 salt water. 



Wariness. Many field naturalists have remarked on its shyness. Berney (1907) 

 speaks of it as shy, and Bennett (in North, 1913) terms it an "exceedingly shy and 

 wary bird and very difficult to approach." Hutton (1870) makes the same ob- 

 servation for New Zealand. Austin (in North, 1913) says that "they are very wild 

 birds, fly at a great height and when disturbed usually fly straight away for miles, 

 not returning to their favorite feeding grounds till night." 



Daily Movements. No particular observations have been made on this point. 

 I presume that it is a day feeder, like its relatives, at least where undisturbed. 



Swimming and Diving. When resting on the water it sits lightly, like others 

 of its kind, but it is also able to sink deep in the water when alarmed or when en- 

 gaged in feeding. It is an exceedingly expert diver and is said to get most of its food 



