BLACK DUCK. 
Captain S. A. White’s notes read : “ This is one of the most familiar 
birds to South Australians, and they are dispersed throughout the State, 
frequenting the sea-coast as well as inland waters. They nest in August 
and September and very often a considerable distance from water : they 
are very fond of a standing crop to nest in and it is not uncommon 
to see thirteen eggs in a clutch.” 
Mr. J. W. Mellor wrote : “ Found all over Australia, there being 
not a better known bird to the people of our Continent, where it is 
universally known as the ‘ Black Duck.’ Its haunts are so well known, 
and its distribution so wide that it is almost unnecessary to state them. 
At the Reed-beds near Adelaide they were in thousands in former times, 
but now are only seen in small lots of ten or twenty, and more often 
singly or in pairs. They are to be seen on almost every lake or swampy 
land, where they live on seeds of grass or aquatic plants, also eat a lot 
of the leaves of plants, such as thistles, etc. They are fond of ‘ dock ’ 
seed, which is found abundantly on swampy land. On Lakes Alexandrina 
and Albert, on the Coorong in South Australia, I have seen them in 
vast flocks, but they are so molested now by ‘sportsmen’ (?) that they 
are becoming much more scarce. They nest in a variety of places. I 
have found them in the flags and reeds right in the water, also in the 
thick, high grass far from their ‘ native element ’ ; also in hollows of 
trees high up from the ground. The eggs are generally of a creamy 
colour and well glossed 'On the surface and vary considerably in number, 
from 6 to 8 up to twelve to a clutch. These were not plentiful (on the 
Islands) and generally seen in pairs, their absence being due doubtless 
to their nesting at this time : a nice snug nest was seen on an island, 
containing nine eggs, being about twelve inches across, and nine inches 
bowl and six inches deep, composed of scraps of grass and leaves, warmly 
lined with down from the bird’s breast.” 
Mr. Tom Carter has given me the following note : “I found this 
species not nearly so numerous in the Mid-west as Nettion gibberifrons, 
Nyroca australis or Dendrocygna eytoni. In fact they were rather rare 
in my district. In the South-west it is the commonest species, and to 
be seen on any small water-hole or creek. Every year there are several 
broods reared in my paddocks at Wensleydale. At the excavated stock 
tank, 200 yards from the house, the birds become very tame, and even 
come to the stables and stockyards, midway between the house and 
tank, to pick up grains of corn from the dung of horses and cattle, and 
ofl the ground. At milking-time I have seen them actually underneath 
the cows, and a man milking within five yards. One used to feed 
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