PLATE XXXII 
BIRDS OF THE LAKES, STREAMS, AND SWAMPS 
1. Black-tailed Water-hen Tribonyx ventralis Gould 
Trib'-on-yx— Gk, tri, three; Gk, onyx (onychos ), claw: ven-tra!-lis— L., 
ventralis , bellied. 
distribution. Australia (except the interior of Western Aus¬ 
tralia); accidental to New Zealand. 
notes. Also called Black-tailed Native Hen, Swamp-hen, and Black¬ 
tailed Gallinule. Usually in pairs or flocks, frequenting swamps, lakes, 
or the reed-beds and backwaters of rivers. It is nomadic in habits, 
often appearing in huge flocks in districts where it has not previously 
been recorded. During these visitations it does considerable damage 
to crops and gardens. It is a sprightly bird, flicking its tail as it runs 
in and out of the reeds, and flying only when hard-pressed. Food: grass 
and aquatic plants and animals. 
nest. An open, deep, saucer-shaped structure, composed of plant- 
stems, dried grasses, or rushes. Generally placed on the ground in a 
clump of reeds, under a low bush, on a mass of debris, or in similar 
situations. 
eggs. Five to nine, varying from a dull light green to pale sage- 
green, sparsely but evenly dotted and spotted with purplish-brown, 
intermixed with faint markings of dull violet-grey. Breeding-season: 
August to December. 
2. Tasmanian Water-hen Tribonyx mortieri Du Bus 
mortieri—Mortler or Dumortier, who seems to have been curator of the 
Brussels Museum. 
distribution. Tasmania. 
notes. Also called Native Hen. Usually in pairs or flocks, frequent¬ 
ing marshes, swamps, and reedy margins of lakes and streams. It is 
rather shy, disappearing in the rank herbage when disturbed. The 
call resembles the sound of steel being sharpened; the bird has another 
note—a. loud resonant “Cluck”. Food: aquatic plants and insects, 
mixed with large quantities of gravel. 
nest. An open, bulky structure, composed of dry herbage and reed- 
stalks. Built on the ground and sheltered beneath a clump of rushes 
or a low bush. 
