Q2 L-E SovEF, Food of Dinrn a! Brvds of Prey. [.-fort. 



writes about there are no rabbits or liares — or, rather, none wlien 

 he was there — so the Eagles had none to catch as food. He 

 states : — " Wedge-tailed Eagles have been seen in pairs hunting 

 grey kangaroo in my paddock at Broome Hill until the kangaroo 

 was exhausted, killed, and eaten. I have known an old, full-grown 

 ewe killed and eaten by them, and lambs — both there and at Point 

 Cloates. I once found a freshly-killed domestic cat, gone wild, 

 laid on the nest of this species, alongside the egg — no doubt as 

 food for the sitting bird. The wife of one of my neighbours at 

 Broome shot a large Eagle in the act of attacking some young 

 Turkeys. It had apparently killed some of the same brood. The 

 mother Turkey hacl attacked the Eagle in defence of her young. 

 I have personally seen young Turkeys, up to about half-grown, 

 attacked by these birds, and one of my neighbours saw one kill 

 a tame Goose. On one occasion I poisoned the fresh remains of 

 two old ewes in the evening of the same day that they had 

 apparently been killed by these birds ; next day there were six 

 jioisoned Eagles round the carcass. One of the Eagles was laid 

 on its back and its breast and entrails apparently had been eaten 

 by the other Eagles, as proved by their footmarks only being 

 visible in the soft muddy ground round the dead bird. These 

 birds usually eat the eyes of a dead animal first, and often the 

 meat off the head, and then off the shoulder lying uppermost. 

 After eating a dead lamb they usually leave the complete skin 

 turned neatly quite inside out. I once watched two Eagles attack 

 a half-grown kangaroo until it was exhausted and took refuge under 

 a thick bush. On another occasion I came on a three-quarters 

 grown male kangaroo that was bailed up in a corner of a paddock 

 by two Eagles at one time. An old nest of these birds was blown 

 down, and I found about it some bones of lambs, but mostly 

 remains of possums (phalangers). I do not think these latter 

 were caught alive, but their carcasses were taken after being skinned 

 by the trappers." 



Regarding the White-belHed Sea-Eagle {Haliceetns leiicogaster), 

 Mr. Carter states : — " They mostly eat fish caught from the open 

 sea or mangrove lagoons. I have seen one carrying a large eel 

 caught from a rocky bay, and of such size and weight as to 

 impede the bird as it flew with it hanging from its feet. I followed 

 it fast along the beach, and it kept settling, evidently having a 

 rest, until I got so close that it left the eel and flew away. The 

 eel was about 4 feet in length and li inches in diameter. I wanted 

 to take it home with me to skin, l)ut the aboriginal with me 

 refused to touch it, saying it was ' big fellow sulky.' I have also 

 seen this bird eating large sea-snakes on the beach at Point Cloates. 

 I saw one of these Eagles eating at a ewe's head that had got down 

 ■ lambing,' and drove it away. On several occasions ])irds of the 

 year made determined attacks 011 the tame poultry, and I shot 

 one in the act of taking away a Duck. One of tliese birds had 

 a long chase after a tame Straw-necked Ibis {Carphibis spimcoUis), 

 but tlio I])is was the t)etter flier, and escaped. Tlir Wliite-headcd 



