THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Mr. Tom Carter has provided the accompanying note: “ On Sept. 18, 
1892, a small flock of these birds was resting on the beach at Maud’s Landing, 
North-west Australia, and allowed me to ride close past them without taking 
flight. About an hour afterwards I saw them swimming on the sea. In the 
wet year of 1900 numbers of these birds were on the flooded flats near 
Winning, 50 miles inland from Point Cloates. A teamster who passed there 
with a load of wool told me of some strange wild geese he had seen, coloured 
black white and red. He also told me of the Spoonbills which the black 
boys had eaten. The mention of these strange birds caused me to make a 
hurried special trip to the scene, and the geese I found to be semipalmated, 
many of them having their under parts much stained with red clay mud ! 
Nov. 1, 1905. I walked within 5 yards of one of these birds as it 
rested on the edge of a stock tank at Wensleydale. It was gone an hour 
afterwards.” 
Hill {Ejnu, Vol. XII., p. 253, 1913), reporting on the birds of the Barclay 
Expedition, records at Borroloola : “ The first arrivals appeared near our 
camp on 20th January, and remained about the submerged grass country 
untn M''e left the district. Large flocks were seen flying south-west towards 
the latter part of the month. According to the natives, looped tracheae are 
frequently seen in these geese. I examined about 10 specimens, only one of 
which (an old male) showed this form of trachea. In this case the trachea 
passed twice down the left pectoral muscle to near the vent before it 
entered the body. A few parasites (Mallophaga) were found on one 
specimen only.” 
Mr. J. A. Boyd, writing to Mr. A. J. North from North-eastern Queensland 
{Austr. Mus. Spec. Cat., no. 1, Vol. IV., p. 56, 1913) states : “ I do not think 
the Magpie Geese laid last season: they certainly did not near here, the first 
time they have missed since I came. When out at Goose Lagoon some months 
ago I saw no sign of old nests, nor, though I saw literally thousands of these 
birds, did I notice a single young one Since I last wrote you I have 
been inquiring from the blacks, who feed largely on these eggs when in season, 
and they assert that unless the geese can build in water they will not build 
at all. The bird in these parts builds its nest exclusively of a flag or rush 
that grows some ten feet high : a tussock of these is first selected and 
trampled down, the flags all round are cut and added on top of this foundation, 
until it is some two feet above water, and on this again, of the same material, 
the nest proper is formed. Last year, owing to the drought and scarcity of 
feed, these rushes did not grow well, and were eaten down by the cattle as 
soon as they appeared, so the birds could hardly have bred had they been 
inclined to do so.” 
30 
