ANAS PUNCTATA, Cuv.
Chestnut-breasted Duck.
Anas punctata, Cuv.
Mareca castanea, Eyton, Mon. Anat., pi. in p. 119.
- ^ _ ■ pwnctata, L ist of B irds in Brit. Mus. Coll., P a rt I I I . p. 134.
Gnwool-ye-nug-ger-rang, Aborigines of th e lowland districts of W e ste rn Australia.
Teal, Colonists of Swan River.
T h e A n a s p u nctata is universally diffused o ver th e so u th e rn p o rtio n o f A u s tr a lia ; it is also equally numerous
in some p a r ts o f Van Diemen’s L an d . I t is n o t m igratory, b u t may be m e t with d u rin g eve ry m o n th o f the
y ea r. I n two instance s I found its n e s t a n d eggs. T h e situ a tio n o f on e was r a th e r unusual, a h o le n e a r th e
to p o f a la rg e tr e e grow in g on th e flats n e a r Ab e rd ee n on th e U p p e r H u n t e r ; th is o c c u rre d in th e month
o f'O c to b e r, an d in th e following D e cem b e r I ra ise d a fema le from h e r n e s t among th e h e rb a g e on Green
Is lan d in D ’E n tre c a s te a u x ’ Channel- In '>0* instance s th e eggs we re n in e in number.
L ik e th e Wild D u c k a n d T e a l o fE u r o p e , th is b ird in h ab its riv ers, b rooks, lagoons an d ponds, both inland
an d n e a r th e s ea . I t is a tru e g ra ss-fe ed er, arid is one o f th e b e s t Du ck s fo r th e tab le th a t is found in
th e co u n try . W h e n sn rp ris e d it rises quickly, b u t is le s s active th a n th e E u ro p e an T e | l } it is, however,
a b ird o f powerful flight. I frequently en c o u n tere d it in vast flocks while a sc en d in g th e little-v isited rivers
o f th e so u th e rn p a r t o f Van Diemen’s L an d , p a rtic u la rly th o s e which empty th em s ily e s in to th e R e ch e rc h e
Bay. In th e s e re tir e d an d so lita ry re tr e a ts i t is much m o re tam e th a n in freq u en te d situ a tio n s, and
n ev e r failed to fly down th e riv e rs o ver o u r heads as we a s c e n d e d ^ a mea su re w hich, a lth o u g h a t th e first
view it ap p e ars to be th a t o f flying in to th e d a n g e r it wished to avoid, was in fa c t th e re a d ie s t means
o f e s c a p in g ; fo r h a d it tak e n th e o p p o site co u rse, it would hav e re q u ire d g re a t exe rtion to su rm o u n t th e
im p en etra b le fo re s t o f h ig h tre e s , ris in g p erp en d icu larly from th e w a te r’s edge , in which th e s e sh o rt and
sluggish rivers usually te rm in a te . I t is very ra re th a t th e Male is k ille d in th e n u p tial dre ss,; an d I am induced
to believe th a t it is riot assumed un til th e b ird is two o r th re e y e a rs old ; a fte r th e bre eding-sea son
th e sexes are alike in plumage, an d fo r a t le a st nine months o f th e y ea r th e re is no difference in tb e ir out-
wa rd appearance.
T h e ad u lt male in th e sp rin g o f th e y ea r h a s th e h e a d an d neck o f a rich d e e p changeable bronzy green-*,
th e whole o f th e u p p e r su rface ric h brown, narrowly m argined with lig h t re d d ish brown ; all th e u nder
su rface ch e s tn u t, with a ro u n d sp o t o f black n e a r th e tip o f each f e a th e r ; g re a te r wing-coverts w h i t e ;
o u te r webs o f th e secondarie s d e e p rich velvety black, two o r th re e o f th e c e n tra l fe a th e rs m arg in e d with
bronzy reflexions ; rem a in d e r o f th e wings brown ; tail d a rk brown ; on e ith e r sid e o f th e vent a patch o f
w h ite ; u n d e r tail-cove rts black, freckled with tawny an d w h i t e ; bill bluish le a d -c o lo u r; th e nail and th e
edge s o f th e u p p e r mandible black, a n d th e u n d e r mandible c ro ssed n e a r th e tip by a b an d o f re d d ish
flesh-colour ; irid es h a z e l; fe e t lead-colour, with th e membranes o f a somewhat d a rk e r h u e.
T h e female, th e male in w in ter, an d th e young male o f th e year, have th e h e a d and neck minutely stria ted
with brown an d buffy white ; all th e u n d e r surface brown, with a blotch o f blafck in th e c e n tre o f each fe ath er,
an d th e u p p e r surface, wings an d tail similarly marked, b u t less brilliant th an in th e male.
T h e P la te re p re s e n ts a male and a female o f th e n a tu ra l size.