An Australian Bird Book Part 19

Upper grayish-brown; rump, tail blackish-brown; lower-breast, flanks chestnut barred black; white, black plumes on flanks; under base tail white; whistles when flying; f., sim.

Water-plants, fish.

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=132 Australian Sheldrake=, Chestnut-colored s.h.i.+eldrake, Mountain Duck, _Casarca tadornoides_, N.S.W., V., T., S.A., W.A., N.W.A. =vt. Eur. Sheldrake.

[~132 _Tadorna tadornoides._]

Stat. r. _lagoons_ 27

Head, neck s.h.i.+ning-green; chest, upper-back pale rust-red; white band between green and rust-red; upper, under blackish; tail black; white, green, chestnut on wing; f., smaller, duller. Small fish, sh.e.l.lfish.

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=133* Black Duck= (Australian Wild, Gray, Brown), Parera, _Anas superciliosa_, =vt. Eur. Mallard. Sunda Is. to N.G., A., T., N.Z.

Stat. v.c. _water_ 24

Head dark-brown; line above eye, line below eye, throat light-buff; upper, under brown marked lighter; glossy-green patch on wing; bill bluish lead-color; f., sim. Gra.s.s, insects, pond-snails.

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=134* Australian Teal= (Chestnut-breasted, Black, Mountain), Tete, _Nettium castaneum_, Java, Cel., A., T., N.Z. =vt. Eur. Teal.

[~134 _Nettion castaneum._]

Stat. c. _lagoons_ 18.5

Head, neck dark bronze-green; upper rich brown; under chestnut; flanks spotted black; white, green patch on expanded wing; quills black; 1 lb. 9 oz.; f., head, neck brown and buffy-white; breast gray, spotted black; 1 lb. 8 oz. Gra.s.s.

=135* Gray Teal=, Wood-Teal, _N. gibberifrons_, Sunda Is., Cel., N.G., A., T., N.Z.

Stat. c. _lagoons_ 16

Like female of 134, but smaller; neck white; 1 lb. 2 oz.; f., smaller; 1 lb. 1 oz.

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[Ill.u.s.tration: [136] [137] [138] [139] [140] [141]]

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=136* Australian Shoveller=, Bluewing, Spoonbill-Duck, Stinker, Kuruwhengi, _Spatula rhynchotis_, A., T., N.Z., =vt.

Eur. Shoveller.

Nom. v.r. _freshwater_ 21.5 Crown brownish-black; white line before eye, side of neck; head, neck gray tinged green; under chestnut-brown mottled black; flanks chestnut banded black; back-feathers blackish edged grayish; blue, white, green on wing; throat black; quills dark-brown; under-wing white; f., duller; head, neck buff marked brown; under mottled brown, buff. Water-plants, sh.e.l.lfish, insects.

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=137* Pink-eared Duck= (Pink-eyed, Zebra), Widgeon (e), _Malacorhynchus membranaceus_, A., T.

Nom. v.r. _fresh water_ 17

Under barred brown, white; face, chin white; black round eye; behind eye a spot of rose-pink; back, wings brown; upper base tail whitish; tail dark-brown slightly tipped white; f., smaller. Water-animals.

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=138 Freckled Duck= (Monkey), _Stictonetta naevosa_, V., S.A., W.A., T., N.S.W.

v.r. _water_ 17

Dark-brown freckled whitish, under lighter. Small fish, pond-snails.

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=139* White-eyed Duck= (Purple-headed, White-winged), Hardhead, Brownhead, Barwing, Karakahia, _Aythya australis_, N.G., A., T., N.Z., =vt. Canvas-back of N. Am.

[~139 _Nyroca australis._]

c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 20

Chestnut-brown; white patch on wing; upper abdomen whitish; under tail white; eye white; f., smaller, duller. Pond-snails, insects.

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=140 Blue-billed Duck= (Spiny-tailed, Stiff-tailed, Diving), _Erismatura australis_, N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., T.

[~140 _Oxyura australis._]

v.r. _reedbeds_ 16

Head, neck black; chest, back, flanks chestnut; tail blackish; bill light-blue; f., bill olive-green; freckled gray-brown; under lighter. Insects, pond-snails, fish.

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=141 Musk Duck= (Must), Mould Goose (e), _Biziura lobata_, S.Q., N.S.W., V., S.A., W.A., T.

Stat. c. _lagoons_, _bays_ 26

Blackish freckled buffy-white; wings small; long stiff tail-feathers; bill, lobe beneath chin greenish-black; dives; f., half-size; duller; no lobe. Frogs, sh.e.l.lfish, shrimps.

There are six families of birds included in Order XIV.--the Totally-webbed Swimmers. All four toes are joined by a web. Ducks have three toes only joined by the web, the hind toe being free.

Representatives of the six families are found in Australia. These birds are fishers _par excellence_.

In the first family come the well-known Cormorants or s.h.a.gs, birds found in almost every country in the world. Forty-two species are known, of which five occur in Australia.

The large Black Cormorant is the common Black Cormorant of Britain.