%L?2^^] WHTTLOCK, Xotcs froui NuUarhor Plain. 173 



Near Xaretha I found live unoccupied nests of the Wedge- 

 tailed Eagle {Uroaetus aiidax), one of which had hroken down 

 the tree on which it was built. All these nests were easily acces- 

 sible, being built in the strongest branches of such trees as are 

 to be found on the edge of the plain. In two cases I could touch 

 the nest without climbing. I saw one or two pairs of fine adult 

 birds, but could not locate an occupied nest. Many fall victims 

 to baits intended for dingoes, which at times are very abundant. 



In a slender tree-like bush near Haig I found a nei^t of the 

 Little Eagle (Hieractits peitiiatiis). lit contained a young bird 

 nearly able to fly. I not infrequently saw ])airs beating about the 

 plain. The commonest Hawks were the Kestrel (Ccrchiieis cen- 

 chroidcs) and the P>rown Hawk (leracidea bcrujora). I agree 

 with Captain White that there is a light form and a dark form of 

 this Hawk. On the plain the light form only is found. Some 

 individuals hardly showed any stripes on the breast. A pair had 

 three eggs in the fire-place of an abandoned fettler's camp. A. 

 hollow had been scratched in the hearth, and the eggs laid on a 

 few pieces of paper and torn sacking. In a donga two nests of 

 this species were in one tree. Kestrels were fairly common, but 

 unless they nested on the ground in rocky situations, I am at a 

 loss to know where they bred. At the big cave at Loongana a 

 pair had brought up a brood in a chamber in the side of the en- 

 trance shaft. 



At Naretha I found two fine nests of the common Goshawk 

 {Astur fasciatus). Both these nests were in casuarina trees at 

 a height of less than 20 feet. They were substantial structures 

 of small sticks, neatly lined with green mistletoe leaves. The 

 eggs in one case were marked with a few large blotches of deep 

 red. 



Before I left home I was looking forward with great interest 

 to a meeting with the Cave, or Barn Owl (Tyto alba), which, 

 after reading Captain W' hite's notes, I had hopes might be found 

 in equal numbers on the western side of the plain : a hope not 

 realised. Until I got to Haig, I neither saw nor heard anything 

 of the species. My own impression is that it is slowly spreading 

 westward, and that its present distribution on the actual plain is 

 due to the gradual migration of rabbits in the same direction. 

 But rabbits, being vastly more prolific than owls, the latter are 

 colonising the plain at a much slower rate. 



At Haig on the few calm nights that occurred during my visit, 

 I could hear the gentle "hoo, hoo" coming from all points of the 

 compass. These notes were more frequent on calm nights when 

 there was a young moon. It was a puzzle where these Owls 

 roosted and bred. There were no caves or blow-holes known 

 anywhere near to Haig, and the trees and bushes afforded no 

 adequate shelter for roosting during daylight. The most likely, 

 or, indeed, the only possible place, is the numerous rabbit earths. 



A burrowing Owl exists in North America, Speotyto cunicu- 

 laria, where it has a very wide range It occupies and breeds in 



