THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Fuligula australis Schlegel, Mus. Pays-Bas, VoL VI., Anseres, p. 30, 1866 ; Sclater, Proc. 
Zool. Soc. (Lond.) 1880, p. 526 ; Legge, Papers and Proc. Roy. Soc. Tasm. 1886, 
p. 245, 1887 ; Hartert, Katal. Vogels Mus. Senckenb., p. 233, 1891. 
AytJiya australis Gray, Handl. Gen. Sp. Birds, pt. m., p. 87, 1871 ; BuUer, Suppl. Birds 
New Zeal., Vol. II., p. 16, 1906 ; Mathews, Handl. Birds Austral., p. 36, 1908 ; 
Hall, Emu, Vol. IX., p. 78, 1909 ; Howe, ih., p. 229, 1910 ; Mathews, ib., Vol. X., 
p. 107, 1910. 
Anas australis Giebel, Thes. Ornith., Vol. I., p. 345, 1892. 
Ilyonetta australis Heine and Reichenow, Nomencl. Mus. Hein. Om., p. 347, 1890. 
Fuligula haeri (not Radde) Rothschild and Hartert, Nov. Zool., Vol. I., p. 684, 1894 
(Waigou). 
Aethyia australis Ingram, Ibis 1907, p. 395. 
Nyroca nyroca australis Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 239, 1912. 
Nyroca nyroca dampieri Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., p. 87, 1912 ; Fitzroy River, 
North-west Australia. 
Distribution. Australia; Tasmania (extra-Kmital). 
Adult male. Entire upper-surface including the head, neck, throat, chest, and sides 
of body chestnut-brown, somewhat darker on the hind-neck; lower abdomen 
similar but not so bright ; a pale crescent-shaped spot below the eye ; middle of 
abdomen whitish ; axillaries and under wing-coverts white, marginal under wing- 
coverts greyish-brown, outer edge of wing white ; outer primaries bronzy-brown, 
paler and becoming white at the base ; secondaries white with greenish-brown 
tips and white edges which form a double wing-bar ; the innermost secondaries 
and under tail-coverts white. Bill : upper mandible black with a broad blue-grey 
band at the tip, lower mandible brown ; iris white ; feet and tarsus grey, all the 
joints being blackish-brown. Total length 524 mm. ; culmen 46, wing 223, tail 
60, tarsus 40. 
Adult female. Similar to the adult male but the chestnut less pronounced. Total 
length 500 mm. ; culmen 44, vdng 214, tail 58, tarsus 37. 
Nest. “ Sometimes a hole or hollow spout of a tree, at other times situated upon the 
ground in herbage ; if the latter, the nesting-place is lined with grass mixed with 
down and feathers. Nest-down brownish-grey or greyish-brown, each particle 
being lighter coloured on the tips and whitish in the centre ” (Campbell). 
Eggs. “ Clutch, eleven to thirteen ; elliptical in shape ; texture of shell comparatively 
fine ; surface glossy and greasy ; colour, light creamy-white. Dimensions in 
inches : 2.26-2.27 X 1.64-1.67 ” (Campbell). 
Breeding-season. Not recorded. 
There is little to record of the life-history of this fiine Duck which was 
first described by Eyton in 1838. 
Mr. Tom Carter’s note reads : “ This was one of the commonest species 
occurring in the Mid-west.” 
Mr. Sandland writes : “ Often seen on the tanks at any period of the 
year at Balah, South Australia.” 
Captain S. A. White observes : “ These birds are found in great numbers 
on our lakes ; they are expert divers and seem to collect much food from the 
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