Circa 1820-1840. CASARCA TADOMOIDES--CHESTNUT--coloured SHELDRAKE. This Beautiful Duck, pride of Australian Waters,is a bird of the finest plumage. He is called the Mountain Duck by the settlers, and may be more common in the hills, than the low country,since he is seldom found in the latter district. This bird builds in a tree, and when the young are hatched, the male bird carries them in his bill down to the ground. Strange,whose name I have already mentioned, had a opportunity to watch two birds that had a brood of young in the hollow of a lofty tree on the Gawler, and after the male bird had deposited his charge, he went and secured the young, five in number, which he brought to me at Adelaide but I could not, at every care, keep them alive for more than a month. The bird is very large as a Duck, his head and neck are fine green in colour, and he has a white ring around his neck, as also a white band around his wings. It is not a good eating bird, however, as is often the case with the birds of fine plumage. Professionally Framed and matted. There are age marks at the bottom of the print, no doubt from the previous frame. I have talked to several people about doing conservation on this,which would be quite costly for a expert to perform this surgery. Expensive like all good doctors charge to save a life. This was purchased out of a Old Estate on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The other one that was purchased out of the same estate IS MARECA PUNCTATA: CUV. which we have not been able to find as much information. It also has been professionally reframed and matted and has the same conservation problems. It is also referred to in Birds of Australia but without much information. But is a very nice as is the other one. We prefer to sell these as a pair BUT could be tempted to break them up.

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