BIRDS OF THE LAKES, STREAMS, AND SWAMPS 
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flags growing well away from the margins of lakes or swamps. Most 
of its food is procured by diving; it remains under water for considerable 
periods. Food: aquatic animals and plants. The female is freckled grey- 
brown, the underparts being lighter than those of the male. 
Nest. — A bulky structure, composed of flags or reeds, and lined with 
down. The nest is made by bending down and interlacing the flags. 
Eggs. — Four to six, pale greenish-white (unless nest-stained), the 
surface being slightly glossy and rough. Breeding-season: October to 
December or January. 
6. White-quilled Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus Gmelin 
Net'-ta-pus — Gk, netta , duck; Gk, pus ( pous ), podos , foot: Coromandel - 
ianus — of the Coromandel coast, India. 
Distribution. — North-eastern Australia, as far south as the Clarence 
River (New South Wales) ; also occurs in India, China, Malaysia to the 
Celebes, and Sunda Island. 
Notes. — Also called White-quilled Goose-teal. Very little has been 
recorded of its habits. It is said to frequent lakes, streams, and swamps, 
where it congregates in small flocks. 
Nest. — In a hole in a tree. 
Eggs. — One authentic egg is described as faint creamy-white, the shell 
being very fine and smooth and without gloss. Breeding-season : not 
recorded. 
7. Green Pygmy Goose Nettapus pulchellus Gould 
pul-chel' -lus — L., pulchellus , pretty. 
Distribution. — North-western Australia, Northern Territory, and 
northern Queensland; also occurs from the Celebes to New Guinea. 
Notes. — Also called Green Goose-teal. Usually in pairs or small 
flocks, frequenting lakes, streams, or swamps. It is generally shy and 
difficult to approach. When disturbed, it rises quickly and utters a peculiar 
whistling note while on the wing. Food: aquatic animals and plants. 
Nest. — A flat structure, occasionally with a slight cavity, composed of 
long dry grasses ; lined with feathers and down. Generally placed among 
herbage growing in water. It also nests in a hole in a tree. 
Eggs. — Four to eleven or even more, faint creamy-white (unless nest- 
stained), the surface being smooth and lustrous. Breeding-season: 
February and March, or during the rainy season. 
8. Maned Goose Chenonetta jubata Latham 
Chen-o-net’-ta — Gk, chen, goose; Gk, netta, duck: jub-a-ta — L., jubatus, 
maned. 
Distribution. — Australia and Tasmania. 
Notes. — Also called Wood Duck. Usually in pairs or flocks, showing 
a preference for the upper reaches of streams and the timbered margins 
