230 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
PLATE XXXII 
BIRDS OF THE LAKES, STREAMS, AND SWAMPS 
1. Black-tailed Water-hen Tribonyx ventralis Gould 
Trlb'-on~yx — Gk, tri, three; Gk, onyx ( onychos ), claw: ven-trd -lis — L., 
ventralis , bellied. 
Distribution. — Australia (except the interior of Western Australia) ; 
accidental to New Zealand. 
Notes. — Also called Black-tailed Native Hen, Swamp-hen, and Black- 
tailed Gallinule. Usually in pairs or flocks, frequenting swamps, lakes, or 
the reed-beds and backwaters of rivers. It is nomadic in habits, often 
appearing in huge flocks in districts where it has not previously been 
recorded. During these visitations it does considerable damage to crops 
and gardens. Il is a sprightly bird, flicking its tail as it runs in and out 
of the reeds, and flying only when hard-pressed. Food: grass and aquatic 
plants and animals. 
Nest. — An open, deep, saucer-shaped structure, composed of plant- 
stems, dried grasses, or rushes. Generally placed on the ground in a 
clump of reeds, under a low bush, on a mass of debris, or in similar 
situations. 
Eggs. — Five to nine, varying from a dull light green to pale sage- 
green, sparsely but evenly dotted and spotted with purplish-brown, inter- 
mixed with faint markings of dull violet-grey. Breeding-season: August 
to December. 
2. Tasmanian Water-hen Tribonyx mortieri Du Bus 
mortieri — Mortier or Dumortier, who seems to have been curator of the 
Brussels Museum. 
Distribu tion . — T as ma n ia . 
Motes. — Also called Native Hen. Usually in pairs or flocks, fre- 
quenting marshes, swamps, and reedy margins of lakes and streams. It 
is rather shy, disappearing in the rank herbage when disturbed. The 
call resemble^ the sound of steel being sharpened; the bird has another 
note — a loud resonant “Cluck.” Food : aquatic plants and insects, mixed 
with large quantities of gravel. 
Nest. — An open, bulky structure, composed of dry herbage and reed- 
stalks. Built on the ground and sheltered beneath a clump of rushes or 
a low bush. 
