Vol. II. 

 1903 



j Le SoUEF, Birds' -eggs from Northern Australia. 141 



them from other Australian Hawks' eggs. One curious point 

 about Kites' eggs is that the larger majority of them have the 

 apex of the smaller end covered more or less with markings, 

 instead of the larger end, as is the case with nearly all other 

 birds' eggs. The ground colour is dull white, some having 

 cloudy reddish-brown markings, v/hich coalesce, on the apex of 

 the smaller end, and very few, if any, on the other ; others, again, 

 have small light brown spots on the apex of the same end, and 

 some have light brown or buff spots scattered fairly evenly over 

 the egg. Occasionally some are seen with a few dark brown 

 blotches on the larger end. The inside lining is greenish. 



The full clutch is four, but many nests have only one, two, or 

 three in. The dates on which nine nests and fresh eggs were 

 found are as follows : — 3rd, 4th, 6th, 20th, 21st, and 28th May (2), 

 1st and 3rd June. The eggs measure — A, (i) 2.14 x 1.65 

 (2) 2.1 1 X 1.68 ; B, 2.04 x 1.57 ; C, 1.98 x 1.69 ; D, 2.09 x 1.70 ; 

 E, 2 x* 1.62 ; F, 2.15 X 1.67 ; G, 2.04 x 1.71 ; H, 1.96 x 1.58 

 inches. 



LOPHOICTINIA ISURA (Square-tailed Kite). 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus., vol. i., p. 326; Gould's Handbook, vol. i., p. 51, 



sp. 22. 



The eggs of these birds are very similar in appearance to 

 those of the other Kite, and one has to see the parent bird fly 

 off to make sure of their identity. As a whole they are slightly 

 larger, and are of a dull white, with a few brown spots, either 

 clustering on the smaller end or scattered over the egg ; but 

 some have no spots on, and in others there are cloudy markings 

 of light buff. The dates on which three nests with fresh eggs 

 were found are 2nd (2) and 3rd July. The eggs measure — A, 

 (i) 2.14 X 1.74, (2) 2.17 X 1.74; B, (I) 2.7 x 1.84, (2) 2.6 X 1.73; 

 C, 2.10 X 1.65 inches. 



HiERAClDEA ORIENTALIS (Brown Hawk). 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus., vol, i., p. 422 ; Gould's Handbook, vol. i., p. 31, 

 sp. II. 



Only one nest of this bird was found, and it contained two 

 fresh eggs, but they differed considerably in markings, one 

 having the larger end covered with confluent reddish-brown 

 blotches of varying shades. The other egg is smaller, and is 

 thickly speckled all over with light reddish-brown spots, which 

 at both ends are confluent, those at the larger end being darker 

 than those at the smaller end. They measure — (i) 2.22 x 

 1.58 ; (2) 2.10 X 1.54 inches. 



Cerchneis CENCHROIDES (Nankeen Kestrel.) 



Cat. B. Brit. Mus., vol. i., p. 431 ; Gould's Handbook, vol. i., p. 35, 

 sp. 13. 



8th July was the date on which the nest, containing three fresh 

 eggs, of this graceful bird was found. They were deposited on 



