44 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



crown dark brown and rufous ; nape blackish brown and white ; 

 scapulars brown, edged with rufous ; upper and lower back 

 brown ; rump brown, edged with rufous ; upper tail coverts same 

 colour ; tail leaden brown, with black bars and white tips ; 

 cheeks and ear coverts white, closely marked with brown dashes ; 

 throat and chest white, with long oval dark-brown spots ; breast 

 and belly white, with brown diagonal bars ; vent and under tail 

 coverts same colour, with bars much wider apart ; under tail 

 whitish slate, with a slight tinge of rufous, with brown bars ; 

 thighs dirty white, with close rufous diagonal bars ; legs and feet 

 dirty yellow. 



The Male Bird is much smaller, measuring 1 7 inches, but the 

 markings are the same as in the female, though with a little less 

 depth of colour. This species does show some variability in the 

 depth of tint of its colour, some specimens being much darker 

 than others, but the markings are constant throughout. 



At last meeting I exhibited the eggs of both birds, which also 

 differ in every respect. These eggs are now in the possession of 

 Mr. G. E. Shepherd, a member of the Club. However, I have a 

 painting of the eggs with me to-night, together with five other 

 eggs of the Spotted-fronted variety, but I have never had or seen 

 more than the one egg of the Australian Goshawk. 



Gould, in his work, describes the eggs as follows : — " Eggs, 

 three in number, of a bluish white, smeared over with blotches 

 of a brownish buff, 1 inch 10 lines by 1 inch 5 lines." He also 

 says : — "It might readily be supposed that this bird is very common, 

 and such is in reality the case, for it is one of the most abundant 

 and generally dispersed of the hawks inhabiting New South 

 Wales and Van Diemen's Land." This note can only be ac- 

 counted for by his confusing the two birds, and is quite in 

 opposition to our experience in Victoria, as it is a difficult matter 

 to obtain here a specimen of the bird he has figured in his book. 



A comparison of the eggs I have secured, which were taken 

 at Hopetoun, is as follows : — Australian Goshawk, of a bluish 

 white, with a slight green tinge, with dark reddish-brown spots, 

 iJ/% inches long by \y% inches full. Eggs of Astur maculosus 

 are four in number, of a rounder shape than the Australian 

 Goshawk — 1^ inches long by i$& inches full, of a dull white, 

 with a slight tint of blue, with one or two crooked fine lines of a 

 reddish brown and a few small spots of the same colour. 



In conclusion, it will be seen by the feathers on the black- 

 board that there are fewer bars on every feather of the " Spotted- 

 fronted " than the other variety. The back of the latter bird is 

 of a plain leaden brown, whilst that of the "Spotted-fronted" is 

 of a rich brown, barred all the way down the back, the tail 

 feathers being white at the points, which does not occur in the 

 Australian Goshawk. 



