CIHCUS. 181 



Near Sydney Gould's llanier maybe occasionally met with about [■iandwick and the 

 Botany Water Reserve, also the rush-co\ered flats of Narrabeen Laj^ooii. Although this species 

 will kill a full grown Duclc or Coot, it does not hesitate to prey upon many of the smaller ground 

 frequenting birds, small mammals, reptiles and various kinds of insects. The stomach of a 

 bird examined, shot at liandwick, contained the remainsof an Australian Pipit i Anthus au^tralii), 

 and another procured at iJotany se\eral more or less perfect lizards and portions of insects. 

 Mr. J. A. Boyd, while resident at Ripple Creek, Herbert River, North-eastern Queensland, 

 wrote me : — " I may mention that the Fijian Clriin (C. wolfi ) is a great egg eater, and devours 

 large numbers of those of fowls and turkeys. I have caught many, using an egg for bait, and 

 have shot them so full of this food, that yolk has poured out of their mouths like honey from a 

 ' Blue Mountain Parrot.' " According to Gould it also eats eggs. 



This species exhibits the usual variation in plumage between youth and maturity. The 

 former may generally be distinguished by their more uniform and darker colouring, and if one 

 is near enough by the white nape spot. In the adults principally by the lighter plumage of the 

 under surface and tail, and the almost pure white upper tail-co\'erts. In the Australian Museum 

 Collection are specimens from different parts of New South Wales, but principally from the 

 coastal districts ; from \'ictoria, Tasmania and King George's Sound, Western Australia, the 

 latter procured by Mr. George iMasters in October, iSTiS. 



Writing me from Swan Creek, Ulmarra, in the northern coastal district of New South 

 Wales, Mr. R. Williams remarks : — " In close proximity to a number of Straw-necked Ibis nests 

 found in this district in C)ctober, lyoo, I disco\'ered and flushed a Swamp Harrier from her 

 nest, which was built in a thick clump of reeds at a height of about three feet above the water. 

 The nest was a simple structure formed by bending the reeds towards a common centre, which 

 was about four inches below the fracture of the reed. This concavity, lined with grass, lormed 

 the nest which contained two eggs " 



The late i\Ir. K. H. Bennett sent me the following notes when resident at Yandembah 

 Station, near Booligal, New South Wales : — " Although by no means numerous. Circus goiddi 

 may be met with in this locality all the year round, but only where there are swamps affording 

 shelter for waterfowl, which, with their young, constitute portion of its food. It is much 

 fiercer and more rapacious than Ctrcits assuuiln. and does not hesitate to attack birds of 

 larger size, such as Ducl:s, Waterhens and Coots. It has a curious habit in the mode 

 of descent from an immense height above a swamp or reed-bed, and in uttering shrill screams while 

 so engaged. Usually the first indication of the presence of this Harrier is its wild and piercing 

 note, and on looking up the observer sees the bird high up in the air performing the most 

 extraordinary e\olutions, tumbling head downwards for a long distance as if wounded, then 

 suddenly shooting upwards for a little way, which is repeated several times, but gradually 

 getting nearer all the time to the surface of the swamp, when this erratic flight ceases, and it 

 perches either on the top of the reeds or some branch projecting above them. Here the bird 

 rests for some time, tlien commences its quest for prey by flying slowly and stealthily just above 

 the tops of the reeds or rushes, carefully scrutinizing each small patch of open water or the 

 swamp. On one occasion I saw one pounce on a Black Duck (Anas snpcvcihosa ) in some open 

 water amongst the reeds. The unfortunate Duck at once dived, but the Harrier, expanding its 

 broad wings, effectually prevented the Duck from drawing the former under the water, and it could 

 only swim about at a certain depth until it was drowned. When this was accomplished the 

 Harrier, by gently flapping its wings, steered the prey to a small partly submerged log, and 

 then letting go the dead Duck rose to the surface. Stretching out one of its long legs, he soon 

 had it on the log, and commenced to eat it, but as the fun was now over I determined to have 

 the Duck, which I quickly confiscated. On two occasions I have found the nests of Civciis 

 <,'ou!di, and in both instances they were formed of sticks loosely placed together on the top of 



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