UKUXTUS. 203 



evidently been taken from a nest. Another nest, built in a lar^^'e iJloodwood (Eucalyptus 

 curyiiihosa) was visited on i:!th June, 1907, and contained one fresh e^;^', which was taken as the 

 chinl) was a hard one ; on \isitin,4 this nest a few days later, a second ej^g was fotind and taken, 

 showing that the bird had not completed the set on the first visit. This nest was lifty-eight 

 feet from the ground, and had been used for a number of seasons. The following are the 

 measurements of a Wedge-tailed Eagles nest, in which a pair of Brown 1 fawks 1 1 lui'iuidea 

 t)r/(7;Ai//s ; laid :—" Across the t.ip of the nest, diameter four feet, depth three feet, egg cavity 

 one foot () inches by four inches deep, height from ground sixty feet." 



Mr. (jeorge Savidge sends tne the tollowing notes from Copmanhurst, Upper Clarence 

 Ixiver, New South Wales: — " 'I"he Wedge-tailed \i,a.':,lti ( Uiva'tus audij.v ) is a scarce bird in the 

 Clarence River District, which is probably due to the kangaroo shooters who poison parts of 

 the carcasses of the kangaroos for the sake of obtaining dingo scalps, and I have seen several 

 of these Eagles dead around them. Its large nest is usually placed very high in some tall 

 Eucalyptus; the eggs are laid mostly during [une and luly. I have seen it on more than one 

 occasion rushing through the tall timber, with wings half closed, after large wallabies, but 

 tiave never witnessed the closing struggles between them ; the Aborigines, howe\er, tell me 

 they kill and devour them. One day when (Juail shooting I put up a k-angar(jo-rat. I did not 

 see the Eagle until 1 heard the rush of it through the air as it seized the rat and carried it to a 

 tree close by. The rat was found to be smashed to pulp by the force with which the Eagle had 

 struck it. .-hjuila audax commences to build in April, and I have taken eggs on the ujth |uly 

 hard sat upon. It lays in the same nest year after year if not disturbed; when it has young 

 one sees all kinds of prey under the tree, native-bears, kangaroo-rats and even rock-wallabies 

 are eaten." 



Mr. H. L. White, of kjelltrees. Scone, New South Wales, sent me tlie following notes; — 

 " The Eagle-hawk ( I 'i-iurtm duJ.ix) is fairly numerous, but not in such numbers as formerly. 

 Some thirty-iive years ago, when the system of shepherding was abandoned in favour of paddocking 

 sheep. Eagles were a great curse at lambing time. The ewes were allowed to run, practically 

 unattended, in very large paddocks, and the Eagles le\ied a heavy toll upon the lambs. I know 

 of an instance where one boundary rider shot or poisoned one hundred and twenty Eagles in 

 eight weeks; probably as many more died unnoticed. After some twenty years of war against 

 them, their numbers were so reduced that the damage done became practically ;;;/. At 

 the present time their destruction is not encouraged, as the value of the few lambs they 

 kill is more than balanced by the numbers of young marsupials, hares, etc., they destroy. I 

 have found the Eagle to be a stupid, (juiet bird, \-ery imjuisitix-e, and usually easily approached. 

 Upon (jne occasion, when rolling a large stone down the side of a steep mountain, I heard a 

 rushing sound pass over head and noticed a dark object, with almost incredible speed, follow 

 the stone until a patch of thick timber was reached, when a sudden opening of wings revealed 

 an Eagle, The bird had evidently been attracted by the moving stone, and shot alter it with 

 closed wings. Upon another occasion an Eagle seized and attempted to carry off a full grown 

 fo.\ terrier that was following me. Nests are frequently met with, usually in the highest trees 

 growing on sides of mountain spurs. I know of one nest which has been in use for twenty-five 

 years, but whether occupied regularly every year I am unable to say ; olTand on during the time 

 mentioned I have noticed young birds in it. In 1908 I wanted the eggs, but found a pair of 

 newly hatched young instead. Eagles eggs present a great variety of colouring, those in my 

 collection ranging from heavily blotched to dirty white specimens." 



Mr. Thos. P. Austin writes me from Cobborah Station, Cobbora, New South Wales ; — 

 " The Wedge-tailed Eagle ( Uvo.rtus audax) has an extraordinary habit of building a nest for 

 some purpose other than breeding. I know of six nests on this property, only one of which 

 have the birds laid in. In some districts I notice they choose the largest trees to build 



