N/^SiS AXO LuGS OF AU ST KALI AX BIKDS. 2 1 



margin with greyish-wLite ; lit ad, neck, and under surface, liglil sandy 

 colour, each feather also margined, but with a darker colour; cere, bill, 

 and legs, brownish or bluish-wliit*, and ej'es hazel. Total length, 22 to 25 

 inches; wing, 16A inches; tail, 10^ inches. I know no bird of prey so 

 elegant in contoiu' as the Wliistling Eagle ; and its lengthened flat-crowned 

 head is typical of Eagles generally. 



Gould, who first described the eggs, once found a nest of this species 

 in the side of which had been consti-ucted that of the beautiful Spotted- 

 sided Finch ( Staganophura giMuta). Both birds were sitting on their 

 respective eggs close to each other ; " and both," adds Gould, " would 

 doubtless liave reared their progenies had I not robbed the nests of their 

 contents to enrich my collection." 



I was present at the taking of the eggs of the Whistling Eagle in my 

 collection ; Mr. Harry Barnard, of Coomooboolaroo. being the cUmbing 

 performer. The tree was by the lagoon near the homestead, and the nest 

 by actual tape measurement was eighty-five feet from the ground. For 

 about half the distance, steps had to be chopped in the smooth baixel 

 with a tomahawk, in order to reach the first forked limb. While 



Mr. Hany was climbing, the bird scuttled off her nest, and flew directly 

 awav. Eggs were previously taken fi-om the same nest, and again 

 subsequent to my visit, which was 16th October, 1885; therefore it 

 is proved that the Whistling Eagle, like many of the other Hawks, 

 reoccupies its old home. That the Whistling Eagle is sometimes an 

 autiunn breeder (according to the season) has also been proved, for the 

 Messrs. Barnard, during the beginning of April. 1883, took a pair of that 

 bird's eggs from a nest ; again in March. 1896. 



Mr. George H. Morton, an astute field observer, took a pair of 

 Whisthng Eagle's eggs from a nest in long grass on his fann near the 

 river MiuTay. 



Mr. S. W. Jackson mentions the following curious note: — "I found 

 a nest one season of a Black-shouldered Kite, and after the Kite had 

 finished building it, the Whistling Eagles hunted it and took possession 

 of the nest and laid in it. I took a clutch of Whistler's from the nest, 

 and nearly the whole of the Eagle, with her tail projecting far over the edge 

 of the nest, could be seen as she sat on the .small Kite's nest. It 



afterwards transpired that the Kite had occupied the Eagle's nest. Fair 

 exchange no robbei-y." 



The following are the dates on which Mr. Jackson has taken, in the 

 neighboiu'hood of South Grafton, eggs of the ^^^listling Eagle, and are 

 worth recording to show that this bird breeds at any time of the season : 



January ist. 1893. Febru.iry 4th. 1S94 



March iqth. i8gj(. .-\pril loth. 1897. 



May 2.1th, iSgS. June 20th, 1896. 



July loth, i8g8. August 21st, i8g8. 



September 25th. 1S98. October 2nd, i8g8. 



November gth, 1896. December i6th, i8g6. 



Mr. Jackson, with the aid of his brother Frank, an expert in cUmbing, 

 and other friends, not forgetting the rope ladder, tomahawk. &c., has, 

 in all, taken about thirty clutches of Whistling Eagles' eggs within five 

 seasons, mostly built in giant trees (see illustration). The full clutch in 

 every case was two eggs, except in one instance, when it was three. 



