THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
outer edge of the wing and on the inner webs of the primaries, which are dusted 
with white and grey. Sides of face, eyebrow, and a narrow band on the fore- 
head paler chestnut ; throat whitish more or less washed with chestnut ; sides 
of the breast hke the sides of the neck ; remainder of the under-surface pure 
white ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white slightly tinged with chestnut ; 
head and nuchal crest black ; the two long nuchal feathers, 240 mm. in 
length, are pure white. Bill black ; eye yellow ; lores and skin round the eye 
yellowish-green ; feet olive-yellow. Total length, 550 mm. ; culmen 66, wing 295, 
tail 104, tarsus 85. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male. 
Young. Upper-surface dark brown, the feathers mottled with rufous and large flecks 
of white on the back and wings ; the quills and tail-feathers rufous mottled 
with dark brown and tipped with white, the rufous somewhat brighter on the 
upper wing-coverts ; the feathers of the head, long and narrow, are white or 
buffy -white, with black margins, giving a broadly streaked appearance ; the sides 
of the neck and under-surface of the body paler and more coarsely marked ; 
chin and throat white, with a few ovate spots of brown. 
Imrmture. This stage of the plumage is becoming more rufous, the flecks on the 
upper-surface are sandy-buff, the head is uniform black and the white eyebrow is 
conspicuous, the hind-neck is becoming rufous, and the sides of the neck and 
fore-neck more buff, and the dark markings on the lower-abdomen and under 
tail-coverts almost obsolete. 
Immature {older). This plumage is showing a great tendency of the feathers to 
become uniform, a large number have lost the mottlings and flecks ; this may 
be noticed more particularly on the quills and tail-feathers. The head is 
uniform black, and the eyebrow more or less mixed with brown, the pattern of 
the feathers on the mider-parts is much coarser, and has lost its regularity. 
Immature {older still). This plumage is much more uniform rufous above, with a 
wash of dirty-brown on the back, the pale flecking on the wings almost 
obsolete, the pattern on the abdomen has almost vanished, and the under- 
surface become uniform buffy-white, and the eyebrow is uniform white. 
Nearly adult. This example is almost in the adult or breeding-plumage, having 
become nearly uniform rufous above, with the exception of a httle remains of 
white flecking on the wings. The white nape-plumes are absent. 
Fledgling, with down still adhering to the feathers. General colour of the upper- 
surface buff and dark brown ; the feathers dark brown with buff centres, which 
are narrow on the head and much broader on the back and wings, where they 
are oval or fan-shaped ; bastard-wing dark brown, rufous, and white more or 
less in the form of bars ; primary-coverts similar, but more rufous and the 
white restricted to the tips ; primary-quiUs rufous mottled and barred near the 
tips with dark brown, and tipped with white ; secondaries similar but more 
mottled with bro^vn, and the rufous less bright ; the long scapulars very 
similar, but darker and less rufous ; tail dull rufous with a subterminal dark 
bar and white tip ; the sides of the face buff, streaked with pale brown ; 
throat and fore-neck white, tinged with buff on the margins of the feathers, 
giving a streaked appearance ; breast, abdomen, sides of the body, axillaries, 
and under wing-coverts similar, but not quite so buff. Bill black above, 
greenish-yellow below ; eyes bright lemon-yellow ; feet pale green. 
Nest. Loosely constructed of sticks, mostly overhanging water. 
Eggs. Clutch, two to four; uniform pale green; axis 54-55 mm., diameter 36.7. 
Breeding-season. September to January usually, but practically all the year round. 
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