234 Sydney Porter—Notes on New Zealand Birds


and the various duck one never sees asleep either in the day-time

or at night. I have certainly never seen a Paradise Duck asleep and

I have had occasion to see them at all times of the night and day.

I think that this species does most of its feeding by night.


A few years ago this Sheldrake was thought (in Europe) to be

exceedingly rare and almost extinct, but although not common, it

certainly seems to be holding its own and at the present moment

seems in no danger of extinction. Once it was found in great

numbers in the Nelson District on the various “ sounds ”, and

large numbers were shot for the Wellington markets, but since those

days the birds have been very much thinned out and are seldom

seen in large flocks.


This bird seems equally at home on either fresh or sea water

and many birds are found around the various sea-coasts, feeding

to a large extent on the marine life. Though not originally found

on Kapiti Island several pairs have been introduced, but not very

successfully, I think, the birds in time flying over to the mainland

and getting shot. At the time I was on the island, contrary to their

usual habits, the sexes seemed to agree to part, the drakes going to

one part of the island and the hens to another.


To my mind there is something very pleasing about the beauti¬

fully vermiculated plumage of these birds. The two sexes are very

dissimilar, the female being a much brighter coloured bird though

the male is considerably larger. The male has the head glossy

black with greenish reflections. The body feathers are mainly black,

finely vermiculated with white, grey, and rufous. The wing coverts

are snow white, the secondaries glossy green except the inner ones,

which are rather elongated and a bright chestnut. The hen has a

pure white head and neck, the body feathers are bright chestnut,

the feathers minutely vermiculated with grey, black, and white. The

hen has an “ eclipse ” plumage, in which she somewhat resembles

the male.


At the present moment there are quite a few breeding pairs in

Europe and it is to be hoped that these increase considerably, for

they are very intelligent and very ornamental, although extremely

spiteful to all smaller waterfowl. Some Grey Duck kept in the



