Birds of Irene. 77 



533. BuTEO DESEHTORUM. (Steppe Buzzard ) 



00 30.1.04. 



Ill stomach large number of grasshoppers. 



A regular summer visitor. They always frequent the same 

 eucalypt plantation, where they roost close to the roosting- 

 place of Meroj^s apiaster (European Bee-eater), which seem 

 to very much resent their presence. 



1 do not think these birds are so destructive to poultry as 

 is generally supposed, and I have never seen them attempt 

 to clutch chickens, although they have here every opportunity 

 of domg so. The contents of the stomach of the one I shot 

 was crammed full of grasshoppers ; the stomach of one which 

 my brother shot recently in the low country contained a 

 lizard and a snake. 



534. MiLvus ^GYPTiAcus. (Yellow-billed Kite.) 

 This species is an occasional summer visitor. 



536. Elanus o^ruleus. (Black-shouldered Kite.) 

 The Black-.shouIdered Kite is fairly common and breeds 

 here. 



544. AsTUR POLYZONOIDES. (Little Banded Goshawk ) 



(a) ?. 28.5.04. 



In stomach mouse. 



My attention was called to a pair of these birds by their 

 loud call-notes whilst perched on the topmost branch of a 

 willow tree. When disturbed they flew backwards and 

 forwards amongst the willow trees, both birds calling all the 

 time when on the wing. These are the only two examples 

 which I have seen here. 



549. Circus cineraceus. (Montagu's Harrier.) 

 Montagu's Harrier is sparingly distributed here during 



the summer months. 



550. Circus macrurus. (Pale Harrier.) 



This bird arrives in October, and a few pairs remain 

 during the summer. They are exceedingly destructive to 

 poultry. 



