344 
ANATIDiE. 
Hah. Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence Rivers 
Districts, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, 
Tasmania, West and South-West Australia. (Ramsay ) 
Genus MALACORHYNCITUS, Swainson. 
MALACORHYNCHUS MEM BRAN ACEUS, Latham. 
Pink-eyed Duck. 
Gould, Ilandbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. ii., sp. 590, p. 372. 
“ For a member of the Anatida ;, this bird certainly selects the 
most unique spots imaginable in which to make its nests. The 
first instance was brought under my notice by Mr. K. II. Bennett, 
of Yandembah, a most enterprising naturalist, to whom the 
Australian Museum is indebted for several rare specimens. Mr. 
Bennett informs me that having occasion to visit anestof the White- 
fronted Heron, Ardea novce-hotlandue, he was much surprised to 
find it much altered in appearance, and from the mass of down 
which covered the whole of the upper part of the Heron’s nest the 
duck flew off, leaving two eggs, which with the nest have been 
transmitted to the Museum ; the eggs unfortunately were broken 
in transit, this deficiency however, is supplied by specimens taken 
by Mr. Whittcll from a similar mass of dark slaty-grey down, 
which was placed on a flattened portion of a thick horizontal 
bough about ten feet from the ground, overhanging the water, on 
the bank of the Darling River near Wilcannia ; in this instance 
the eggs were six in number of a rich light cream colour, rather 
pointed ovals. Length (A) P85 x 1 '3 inch ; (B) 1 '82 x l - 3 inch. 
The beautiful structure above mentioned, sent by Mr. Bennett, 
consisted of the platform of sticks, which formed the nest of the 
Heron, being thickly covered with down, which formed a rim four 
inches in height, a large quantity of down was worked in among 
the sticks and covered the greater part of the sides, it closed over 
the eggs above in an elastic mass, quite hiding them.” ( Ramsay , 
R.L.S., JV.S. IF., Vol. vii., p. 58.) 
