Vol.XVIlI. 



1919 



1 JACKSON, Haunts of the Letter-winged Kile. 1 67 



before it reached the gn)und. Several of them would lake part in 

 this game, which would often end with a tussle. They breed in 

 company with the Letter-winged Kite, but make a much larger nest, 

 and use quantities of dead sticks of the coolabah and bauhinia tree 

 {Baiihinia carroni, F. v. M.), some being quite thick. Many of their 

 nests were found, also eggs, which varied from two to four for a 

 sitting. The young are covered with white down. We found these 

 birds often breeding in the nests of the Letter-winged Kites instead 

 of constructing their own, though the nests were rather small for 

 them compared with their own structures of sticks. 



Lophoictinia isura. Square-tailed Kite. — Several of the birds seen, 

 but none found breeding. 



Haliastur sphenurus. Whistling - Eagle. — This bird was very 

 common, and many of their nests and eggs were found, some nests 

 being only 1 1 feet up from the ground. 



Uroaetus audax. Wedge-tailed Eagle. — This bird was not common, 

 and a few nests were seen. 



Faico melanogenys. Black-cheeked Falcon. — One specimen seen, 

 and was in a tree close to us. 



FaIco hypoleucus. Grey Falcon. — Several pairs were noted, and 

 two nests containing eggs discovered — one of three and one of four 

 eggs. One day a pair visited an empty nest of a Letter-winged Kite 

 at our camp. The female went on the nest and kept turning round 

 and round in it and uttering a loud " Cluck-cluck-cluck " ; then they 

 both soon departed, and carried on in the same way at other emptv 

 nests. The female is much larger than the male, and more noisy. 



Both sets of eggs of this species found were laid in nests of Milvua 

 a/finis, one being old and dilapidated. 



FaIco subniger. Black Falcon. — Several of these birds were seen 

 and one nest found containing four young birds in snow-white down, 

 and one of the parents was observed feeding them with pieces of rat- 

 flesh. The nest resembled an old Raven's. 



Hieracidea berigora. Striped Brown Hawk. — This noisv bird was 

 very common, and their nests and eggs were met with. 



Cerchneis cenchroides. Kestrel.^ — -This species was very common 

 but no nests were found, and an old Diamantinaite informed me that 

 he had sometimes known these birds to lay their eggs in the grass, 

 owing to suitable hollows in the coolabah trees being scarce. 



When passing through Winton again on my way home. Dr. P. C. 

 Higgins showed me a specimen of the Kestrel that a domestic cat 

 had captured in the hospital grounds there. ' 



Circus assimilis. Spotted Harrier.^ — This Hawk was frequently met 

 with, but was not found breeding. 



Corvus australis. Raven. — Very plentiful, and breeding. 



Corvus bennetti. Short-billed Crow. — Very plentiful, and one pair 

 found breeding. They live in company with the Ravens. 



Specimens were secured for identification of both these species. 

 Both species were shot, possessing both hazel and white eyes. The 

 white eyes in both species had a faint tinge of blue on the inside edge 

 beside the pupil, then sometimes it would be on the outside edge. 

 Probably the eyes get white as the birds grow older. 



