54 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



the west coast, at Moreton Bay on the east, and over all the 

 intervening country. 



In its disposition it is much less courageous than the other 

 members of the Australian Falconidce, and, as its feeble bill 

 and legs would indicate, lives more on insects and reptiles 

 than on birds or quadrupeds. 



I very often observed it flying above the tops of the highest 

 trees, and where it appeared to be hawking about for insects ; 

 it was also seen perched upon the dead and leafless branches 

 of the Eucalypti, particularly such as were isolated from the 

 other trees of the forest, whence it could survey all around. 



While under the Liverpool range I shot a young bird of 

 this species which had not long left the nest ; it is probable, 

 therefore, that it had been bred within the colony of New 

 South Wales ; but I could never obtain any information re- 

 specting the nest and eggs. 



The sexes closely assimilate to each other in colouring. 

 The young differ in having the feathers of the upper surface 

 tipped with buffy brown. 



The adults have the eye encircled by a narrow ring of 

 black ; forehead, sides of the face, and under surface of the 

 body pure white ; back of the neck, back, scapularies, and 

 upper tail-coverts delicate grey ; a jet-black mark commences 

 at the shoulders and extends over the greater portion of the 

 wing ; under surface of the shoulders pure white, below 

 which is an oval spot of jet-black ; primaries dark grey above, 

 brownish black beneath ; tail greyish white ; bill black ; cere 

 and legs pale yellow ; irides reddish orange. 



On reference to the synonymy given above, it will be seen 

 that neither Mr. Vigors nor myself had sufficiently studied 

 the Australian Raptorial Birds described by the venerable 

 Latham to be aM^are that he had assigned the specific desig- 

 nation of axillaris to this Kite ; the terms melanopterus of 

 Vigors, and notatus of myself, must therefore be reduced to 

 synonyms. 



