Older Aaiptriformes, Family Falconidae, Genus leraciJea. 57 



Habits — During the summer months these birds are 

 mostly distributed over the country in pairs, but in the winter 

 it is not an uncommon sight to see eight or ten together. 

 Flight — Kai)i(l and powerful. 



Call — Loud, harsh screech, very often utlered upon the 

 wing. 



Food — Consists of small animals, such as mice and rats; 

 also beetles, gi-ass-hoppers. cater])illars, lizards, snakes, and at 

 times, small birds. 



Nesting season — Varies very much, according to the season, 

 especially in the droughty districts. The season being good, 

 August. September ami October are the months during which 

 most of these birds n<'st. 



Nest — More often than not the deserted nests of magpies 

 are used, but they will build a stick nest, and invariably line 

 both the old and the newly constructed nests with green eucalyp- 

 tus leaves. The position of the nests varies very much, some- 

 times being onlv a few feet above the ground, at others 50 or 60 

 feet. 



Eggs — ^Two to four in number, more often three; coloura- 

 tion and shape vai-ies very much. Dr. A. M. Morgan gives the 

 ■iverage sized egg as — 5.:)0 cm. x 4.00 cm.; largest egg, H.TO 

 cm. X 4.10 cm. ; smallest, 5.00 c.m. x 3.90 cm. 



It is forced upon me to attach my name to these notes, be- 

 cause there is a very wide and diversified opinion in relation 

 to these birds; some holding that there is but one s])ecies. The 

 writer does not agree with this, and is of the opinion that 

 T. herhiovd is the interior form, while /• occidcntdlis keeps to 

 the coastal belt and islands. These deductions have been ;irri\-e<l 

 at after years of observation. Never once had flie writer taken 

 the dark fomu in mature state in the interior, and never once 

 has the rufous bird been observed near the coast; nestlings in 

 b;it;i cases are very dark, but this would i)rove little more 

 than that both forms may have had a common ancestry. 

 ffraciflcd berif/ora is one. of the most plentiful birds in the inte- 

 rior, and its shrill, harsh cry is a familiar sound in that country. 

 The darker form i Jcnuidcd occldeutalis) is not an uncommon 

 bird upon the coastline, and is to be found on most of the 

 larger islands. Mi-, (i. M. Mathews has made the bird a sub- 

 sjVv'cies of /. hcric/oni : they are so easily separated that it would 

 not be out of the way to give them specitic difference. 



J. W. Mellor writes — 



"Tliesi' JKiwks were once common at the Ueedbeds, but they 

 ore now oiiIn' occnsionallv seen, [ secured one some vears ;igo, 



