Order BALLIF0RME8 Family RALLIDJS. 
No. 65. 
PORPHYBIO MELANOTUS MELANOTUS. 
EASTERN BALD COOT. 
PoRPHYRio MBLAiiroTUS Temminck, Man. d’Orn., II., p. 701 (1820), Australia (New South 
Wales). 
Porphyrio melanotus Temminck, Man. d’Orn., II., p. 701 (1820) ; Gould, B. Austr., VI., 
PI. 69 (1848) ; Sturt, Narr. Exp. Centr. Austr., App., p. 53 (1849) ; Bennett, Gather. 
Nat. Austr., p. 187 (1860) ; Gould, Handb. B. Austr., II., p. 321 (1865) ; Ramsay, 
P.L.S.,N.S.W.,I.,p. 192 (1876) ; id., ib., II., p. 199 (1877) ; P.Z.S., p. 343 (1877) ; 
id., Tab. list Austr. B., p. 21 (1888) ; North, Austr. Mus. Cat., No. 12, pp. 323, 415 
(1889) {partim). 
Porphyria mdanonotus Newton, Zool. Rec., p. 104 (1868) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus., XXIII., 
p. 205 (1894) (partim) ; North, B. County Cumb., p. 108 (1898) ; Hall, Key B. Austr., 
p. 78 (1899) ; Keartland, B. Melh. Dist., p. 117 (1900) ; Robinson and Laverock, Ibis, 
p. 650 (1900) ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. B., p. 757 (1901) ; Oates, Cat. 
Birds’ Eggs Brit. Mus., I., p. 128 (1901) ; Hall,KeyB. Austr., p. 78 (1906) ; Berney 
Emu, VI., p. 109 (1907) ; Mathews, Handl. B. Austral., p. 14 (1908) {partim). 
Distribution. Queensland ; New South Wales ; Victoria ; and South Australia. 
Adult male. Entire back, scapulars, tail, and the greater portion of the wings greenish- 
black, with a slight glossy tinge ; lesser wing-coverts ultramarine-blue, like the outer 
webs of the bastard-wing ; marginal-coverts, inner webs of the bastard-wing, 
primary-coverts, and quills black ; lores, fore-part of the cheeks, occiput, and hind- 
neck also black ; hinder-neck, throat, entire breast, sides of the body, under wing- 
coverts, and flanks purphsh-blue ; middle of abdomen black ; under tail-coverts 
pure white ; axillaries black, some tipped with blue ; quills below glossy black ; 
bill and frontal plate red ; iris red ; tarsi and feet dusky red. Total length, 
500 mm. ; culmen and frontal plate, 69 ; wing, 266 ; tail, 110 ; tarsus, 95, 
Nest. Similar to that of P. melanotus fietcheroe, p. 243. 
Eggs. Clutch three to five, smooth and slightly glossy ; ground-colour sandy-buff, 
blotched and spotted with chestnut over the entire surface, with underlying spots 
of lead-grey. Axis 48 — 49 mm. ; diameter 35 — 36. 
This clutch was collected by Mr. T. H. Tregellas on the 29th of October, 1908, 
at Caufield, Victoria. 
Breeding season. January and February (Berney) ; October (Tregellas). 
Mr. Charles Belcher observes: “This is the commonest water-fowl in Victoria 
and it may be found wherever there are reed-beds. It is however most plentiful 
north of the Divide, the great centre from which the species is distributed, being, 
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