lIALIANTl'lt. 



229 



The food of this species usually consists of small inanimals, birds, reptiles, hsh, \arious 

 kinds of insects and their larva-, crustaceans, and it does not hesitate to chase and capture pi,<,'eons, 

 poultry and the acclimatised rabliit. It is also a carrion feeder and useful scaven^'er about 

 killinj,' yards. 



From Cobborah Station, Cobborah, New South Wales, Mr. Thos. 1'. Austin kindly sent 

 me the followin,^; interesting and instructi\e notes: — "Just before Haliastni sf-'lu-iiiiiiis begins 



nesting in its normal breeding 

 season, it will often congiegate 

 in \ery large flocks, more 

 often near water, a shallow 

 swampbeinga favourite place. 

 I once counted hfty-two birds 

 flying practically in a flock, 

 just soaring round and round 

 over a few acres. I'pon 

 another occasion I saw twenty 

 of these birds fly from a Red 

 Ginn tree growing by itself 

 on the edge of a swamp, and 

 there were many others fly- 

 ing about. Sometimes these 

 assemblies will be kept up off 

 and on for two or three weeks, 

 and their loud whistling cries 

 may be heard the whole day 

 long. After these congrega- 

 tions are broken up (which 

 is not always done suddenly) 

 a great many of the birds are 

 seen in pairs; this is the time 

 I notice they whistle most. 

 A pair of birds having decided 

 i upon a nesting tree, and not 

 having commenced building, 

 will whistle at irregular inter- 

 vals throughout the day. I 

 find they vary very consider- 

 ably in the time they take to 

 build their nests ; in the 

 majoiity of cases where they 

 build a new nest, they take 

 as near as 1 can judge about 

 a month from the commence- 

 ment until the first egg is laid ; but when a pair of birds occupy a previous season's 

 nest, they at times take much longer to build it up again. Why this is I have not been 

 able to discover, unless it is that they take possession of the nest they used the year previous 

 long before they have any intention of laying, simply to prevent other birds from using 

 it. One instance in particular, which came under my notice during 1909, is perhaps worthy 

 of mention. About the end of April I several times saw a pair of Whistling Eagles standing 

 53 



NKST OF WHISTLING EAGLK (IN SITU). 



