244 
THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
eggs. Six to twelve, creamy or creamy-white, the surface being 
smooth and lustrous. Breeding-season: all the year round, dependent 
on rainfall. 
9. Freckled Duck Stictonetta ncevosa Gould 
Stic-to-net'-ta— Gk, stictos, freckled; Gk, netta , duck: ncev-6'sa— L., 
ruevosus, spotted. 
distribution. Southern Australia (as far north as North West 
Cape, Western Australia, and the Flinders River, northern Queens¬ 
land) and Tasmania. 
notes. Also called Monkey Duck and Speckled Duck. Usually in 
pairs or small flocks, frequenting chiefly lakes and swamps of the 
inland districts. It is a rare species in coastal areas, generally arriving 
in the interior during periods of drought. Although a fast flier, it is 
rather a quiet species, spending much of its time resting on banks 
and fallen logs or floating lazily upon the water. Food: aquatic plants 
and animals. 
nest. A flat structure, composed of grass and herbage; lined with 
down. Generally well hidden among herbage growing in or near 
water, and sometimes with a platform leading to it. 
eggs. Five to seven or tw r elve, pale creamy-brown, the surface 
being smooth and highly lustrous. Breeding-season: September to 
November or December. 
10. Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus Latham 
Mal'-ac-o-rhynch'-us—Gk, malacos , soft; Gk, rhynchos (rhugchos ), beak: 
mem-bra-nd'-ce-us— L., membranaceus, adj. from membrana, membrane. 
distribution. Australia (except Western Australia south of North 
West Cape) and Tasmania. 
notes. Also called Zebra Duck, Pink-eyed Duck, and Widgeon. 
Usually in pairs, occasionally in small flocks, frequenting chiefly 
shallow lakes and swamps. It is mostly confined to the inland districts 
and only occasionally visits the coast. Most of its food is procured by 
“shovelling’* about with its bill in the mud at the bottom of the 
water; it often keeps its head under water for lengthy periods. Food: 
aquatic plants and animals. 
nest. A rounded mass of down plucked from the breasts of the 
parent birds and placed among grass or herbage glowing in water, or 
on a deserted platform-shaped nest of another species. Not infrequently 
the nest is placed some feet from the entrance of a hollow limb or hole 
in a tree, from w r ater-level up to a height of 20 feet or more. 
eggs. Six to eight, creamy-white, the surface being dull. Breeding- 
season: August to December. 
11. Whistling Tree-duck Dendrocygna arcuata Horsfield 
Den-dro-cyg'-na—G k, dendron , tree; Gk, cycnos , and L., cygnus, swan: 
ar-cu-a-ta— L., arcuatus , curved like a bow. 
distribution. Northern, eastern, and occasionally southern Aus- 
