246 THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA 
14. Chestnut-breasted Shelduck Casarca tadornoides Jardine and Selby 
Cas-arc'-a— N.L., casarca , from a Russian word for goose: tad-om-old'-es 
—N.L., tadorna, from an Italian word for duck, a specific name of an 
allied species; - oides , from Gk, eidos, form =r like. 
distribution. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, 
Western Australia (as far north as the Fitzroy River), and Tasmania. 
notes. Also called Mountain-duck and Chestnut-coloured Shelduck. 
Usually in pairs or flocks, frequenting lakes, swamps, or open plains. 
It is generally shy and wary and keeps far out on the shallow lakes or 
swamps; when disturbed, it rises quickly, uttering a harsh cry 
resembling “Chank, chank”, and leaves the locality. Food: chiefly grass 
and other herbage, also aquatic plants and animals. 
nest. Composed of dried grasses and lined with down, usually placed 
in a hollow limb, or hole in a tree, sometimes in or near water, often 
far from it; at times it is placed on the ground or in a rabbit burrow. 
eggs. Eight to fourteen, creamy-white, with a glossy surface. Breeding- 
season: July to December. 
15. Black Duck Anas superciliosa Gmelin 
An'-as— L., anas, anatis, duck; su-per-cil-i-ds'-a— L., superciliosus, 
browed. 
distribution. Australia generally, and Tasmania; also occurs in 
the Celebes, Java to the Pelew Islands, New Guinea to Tahiti, New 
Caledonia, and New Zealand. 
notes. Also called Grey Duck, Australian Wild Duck, Brown Duck, 
and Parera. Usually in pairs or flocks, frequenting streams, lakes, or 
swamps both inland and coastal. It is the best known of our Ducks 
and is fast becoming domesticated. Food: grass, herbage, and aquatic 
plants and animals. 
nest. An open structure, composed of dried grass, and lined with 
feathers and down; placed in a variety of situations—on the ground 
among rushes or grass growing near water, in herbage growing in a 
field far from water, on a deserted platform-shaped nest of another 
species, or in a hollow stump or limb of a tree. 
eggs. Eight to thirteen, pale cream or creamy-white, occasionally 
tinged with green, which soon becomes nest-stained, the surface being 
smooth and slightly glossy. Breeding-season: in normal times, July to 
December, 
16. Blue-winged Shoveller Spatula rhynchotis Latham 
Spat'-u-la— L., spatula , spoon: rhynch-d-tis— Gk, rhynchos, beak. 
distribution. Southern Australia (from North West Cape, 
Western Australia, to Richmond, Queensland), Tasmania, and New 
Zealand. 
