204 A(,il:ilin'«. 



in, while in the Lake Tyrrell District in X'ictoria, I lia\ e seen many of their nests on the 

 blue bush plains, built in small bushes not more than ei,f;ht feet from the ground. Mr. T. 

 Buckland, of Pine Ridge, informs me lie saw a nest with one younj,' Wedge-tailed Eagle almost 

 fully fledged, built upon the ground in a wheat crop, near Bathurst, during December 1903." 



Mr. E. H. Lane writes me from Orange, New South W'ales : — " I have nothing new as to 

 the nesting of the Wedge-tailed Eagle, but as it is very unusual to Hnd a clutch of three eggs, 

 it may be interesting to know that in Uy05, which was a splendid season in the Mossgiel District, 

 a friend of mine there, Mr. H. Lurcher, took two clutches of that number which he sent me, 

 but unfortunately one egg w-as broken in transit. I also recei\ed from a collector in the same 

 district during that season another clutch of three. These are the only instances I have known 

 during my fifty-seven years experience since first starting my collection. I may say the first 

 pair of Eagles' eggs I took, which are still in my possession, was about five miles from Orange, 

 in October i'S5.s. The difference to be seen in the colouring and markings of eggs of the same 

 clutch is worthy of note. I ha\e a pair one of which is pure white, while the other is rather 

 hea\ily blotched. Another pair with markings of rather a uniform character, on one egg they 

 are almost blood red, and the other a lavender colour; other sets I have vary considerably. 

 The size of different clutches also varies \'ery much. I gi\ e the measurements of my largest 

 and smallest pairs, which are records so far as I have seen in print ; — Length (A) :'>-i4 x 2-^1 

 inches; (B)3'i3 x 2-41 inches. (A) 2-66 x 2-17 inches; (B) 2-62 x 2-C7 inches. Another 

 large but rounder pair measures : — Length (A) 3'05 x 2-49 inches; (1>) 3'05 x 2'44 inches. 

 In 1905 Mr. Burcher took Eagles' eggs in July. One set of three he obtained on loth August, and 

 the other set of three on the 31st August, 1905, August and September being the main laying 

 months in the Mossgiel District." 



The late -Mr. K. H. Bennett, when resident at \'andembah Station, near Booligal, New 

 South Wales, wrote as follows : — ''Aijuihi nudnx was formerly \ery numerous in this locality, 

 but poison having to be freely laid to destroy dingoes, the h^agles also became victims by taking 

 the baits laid for the dogs. As these latter animals have for many years been exterminated, the 

 Eagles have again become numerous, so much so, that eilorts have been made to have them 

 included amongst the noxious animals, from the destruction they cause in the lambing season. 

 From my personal observations I am convinced, however, that the rabbits have no greater 

 natural enemy than the Wedge-tailed Eagle. I have found many of their nests, and beneath all 

 of them the ground was thickly strewn with the remains of rabbits. This bird was also at one 

 time very numerous on Moolah Station, in Western New South Wales, but since the general 

 introduction of stock its numbers have greatly diminished, as owing to the lack of lambs by the 

 depredations of these birds, they are detested l)y the pastoralist, and are destroyed by various 

 means, chiefly by poison. The nest, which is usually placed in some tall tree, is a large 

 rough structure composed of sticks, and nearly Hat, the only lining being a few green Eucalyptus 

 leaves, which are placed in a slight depression in the centre, on which the eggs are deposited. 

 So large is the size of some of their nests, that they will easily contain a man, the object of their 

 large dimensions being to afford space for the depositing of prey, and as a place of exercise for 

 the young. In them I have found the carcasses of full grown Bridled Wallabies, young 

 dingoes and lambs. When the young have gained sufficient strength they may be often seen 

 walking clumsily about the platform. Although the nests are usually built in high trees, I ha\e 

 seen them so low down that I took the eggs from one while standing up on my saddle. It breeds 

 usually in July, and lays two eggs, one egg being generally much more blotched than the other. 

 I have frequently found only one incubated egg, and on one occasion took two eggs which were 

 quite white. Only once have I known a nest to be occupied after being robbed; this was at 

 Moolah Station, from which I took a pair of young birds five years before; although there were 

 a number of others there I robbed about the same time, none of them have been since occupied. 



