58 JitcoiJi- frovL Observations in Lake Fromt Dii^trlct, S,A. 



and kept it in captivity for about five or six yoars. It was re- 

 mai'kably tame, and would take food out of my liaiid. mice and 

 lai-<4(' >ii-ubs. etc., bein«>- pi-eferred to larger* prey. 1 liave not 

 known these liawks to attack fowls and lai-jie .i>ame, and always 

 look ujjon them as beneficial to the fields, because they eat up 

 some of the i)ests. I have seen them tlyinji with a small snake 

 in their talons, apparently takiuij, it to their youn<>-. They have 

 n cui-ious habit of tiyinj^' and soarin<>' in the air, c-ircling round 

 and round at a ji,reat hei^jht, cliasinj>- one another, at times mak- 

 inp' a "nose-dive" and rightinji' themselves after ji'oing a short 

 distance, all the while utterin<> their well-known harsh, screech- 

 ing- notes, as if talkinj>; to one another. ^^'h'Ml »i]i<>hting- on a 

 tree they generally select the to])most dry bough, from whicli 

 point of vantage they scan the surrounding country, but on the 

 a])proach of an intruder they are (piickly on the wing iHgain. 

 The.se birds at times take j)os.sessl(m of some old stick nest, built- 

 by another species of bird. They lay rufous washed and red- 

 dish spotted eggs, two or three forming a clutch. 1 have known 

 them to lay in a hollow tree, just placing their eggs on the de- 

 < ayed wood, without any i)retence at making a nest, and, but 

 for the coloi' and more elongated sha])e, the eggs could be 

 ujislaken for those of the owl oi' laughing jackass. 



J. Neil McCtII]) — Records from (Observations in T.ake 

 Frome Disti-ict, Far Northern South Australia — 



The light-colored form of lirown Hawk is vei-y numerous; 

 some very dark forms are occasionally seen. 



Its call is A harsh screech r;i]>idly rejicated, and can be 

 heard any time during the day. and often dui-ing the night, es- 

 p.'cially just before daylight. 



^^'hen luocurable, large insects, smh as grass-ho})pers and 

 caterj)illars, foi-m its chief food. It secures these in its beak, 

 half Hying and half running to ca])ture them. At other times 

 it lives on mice, lizards, birds, small rabbits and carrion, but 

 usually prefers to kill its own food. I have never seen it catch 

 rabbits, although remains of very young ones are to be found 

 under and near its nest. 



It rarely constructs its own nest, preferring to use the d<'- 

 •serted nest of a crow or hawk, which may be placed at all 

 heights from the ground. A few green leaves are added as a 

 lining to old nests, and the eggs, usually three, but sometimes 

 four, are to be found between 1st July and first week in October. 



The female sits closely on the eggs or young. The nmle 

 bird carries most of the tood to the Aoung. and the female, hear- 



