THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
with the result that the upper one falls backwards and the bird floats 
on the surface of the water.” 
Gould* in 1865 wrote : “ Our celebrated countryman and navigator 
Cook observed it on several parts of the coast, and from that time to the 
present it has attracted the attention of every traveller in Australia, and 
been noticed by most authors who have written upon its natural pro- 
ductions ; still, all that has hitherto been placed upon record has been 
mere notices of its existence, unaccompanied by any information respecting 
its habits and economy . . . and my account will fall far short of what the 
historian of so noble a bird ought to be able to give, for our knowledge 
of it is still very limited.” 
Almost fifty years afterward I feel I should endorse this paragraph 
as, though certainly many notes have appeared in that interval, the 
economy of the bird is still obscure. Much has been written about its 
occurrence and breeding dates, but little else of value has been added. 
The observations here given seem to cover most of the known data 
regarding the Black Swan, and it will be patent that much has yet to 
be done. It is quite probable that it is due to the large size and 
familiarity with the bird that no one has taken the trouble to record 
the life history of the bird. British ornithologists have taken to illus- 
trating the “ home life ” of their native birds with pen and camera. 
What an interesting subject such a magnificent bird would make to an 
Australian ornithologist, while the comparative ease with which such 
studies could be effected invites immediate attention. 
Australian ornithologists have produced with their cameras some of 
the most beautiful bird pictures yet taken. Will not some one give 
this bird its due and give us some glorious photos of this swan from 
nature ? 
I recently differentiated the bird inhabiting the western portion of 
Australia, but in this place I have not upheld the subspecies, though I 
still think that the examination of longer series of specimens would compel 
its reinstatement. 
The bird figured and described was collected at Augusta, West 
Australia, in 1897. 
* Handb. Birds Auetr., Vol. II., p. 347. 
22 
