132 BIRDS OF THE DISTRICT OF GEELONG 
bird in being remarkably good eating. The eggs 
have seldom been found, certainly never in this 
locality to my knowledge. 
The birds' habits are almost eccentric. A little 
company of them will come down to water after 
dusk, pitching one here, one there, yards away each 
from the others ; and each individual will remain 
for hours in the position it originally took up, not even 
feeding. A shooter told me how once he came upon 
some of these Ducks on Connewarre, sitting in shallow 
water, head under wing. Because it is hard to kill 
ducks when they are in that position he called out 
to startle them ; they did not stir. He rattled a 
board in his punt ; no result. Finally, in despera- 
tion, he fired at short range and killed one, when 
the others, as if wearied by the succession of noises, 
flew unhurriedly away. 
HARDHEAD 
Nyroca australis 
This species has a central focus of distribution, being 
a strictly inland-breeding bird, which only comes to 
the Connewarre Lakes in any numbers at times of 
flood on the river, or at all events of drought in the 
interior of the Continent, which curiously often 
coincides with a period of flooded streams here in the 
South. It is known to scientists as the White-eyed 
Duck, and in New South Wales is called Brown Duck, 
