ELANUS. 253 



1-23 inches. A set ol four in Mr. Savidge's collection, taken on the 12th Au,!,'ust, 1898, 

 are pure white, and three of them have caps on the thicker end formed of lar<,'e confluent 

 dark chocolate-red blotches, almost obscuring a third of the shell, the remainder of the surface 

 being sparingly marked with smaller irregular-shaped blotches of a slightly lighter hue; the 

 fourth specimen has a similar cap of markings (jn tlie smaller end, the remainder of the shell 

 being thickly spotted and blotched with pale chocolate-red; they measure as follows: — Length 

 (A) r6i X 1-22 inches; (B) r-66 x 1-25 inches; (C) 1-69 x 1-26 inches; (D) r6 x 1-25 

 inches. Of an abnormally marked set of four m tlie same collection, and taken in the same 

 district on the 14th July, 1907, two have the almost pure white ground colour nearly concealed 

 by a broad band formed of confluent smudges of chocolate-red around the middle of one specimen, 

 and more towards the smaller end of the other, the remainder of the shell being thickly covered 

 with smaller markings of a similar hue; another has a very pale brown ground colour more or 

 less covered over three parts of the shell with irregular-shaped markings of ricli umber-brown, 

 the thicker end having only a blotch and two patches of umber black ; the remaining specimen 

 is pure white with a tew almost invisible dark umber spots sparingly distributed o\er the shell, 

 and a cluster of small irregular-shaped markings of blackish-umber on one side at the smaller 

 end :— Length (A) 1-63 x 1-32 inches; (B) 1-62 x 1-28 inches; (C) 1-58 x 1-29 inches; (D) 

 fby X f28 inches. 



Immature birds resemble the adults, but are of a slightly darker grey on the upper parts, 

 most of the feathers of the nape, hind-neck and upper back are largely tipped with pale ochreous- 

 brown, the quills and primary coverts tipped with white, the scapulars and greater wing-coverts 

 also tipped with white and washed with pale ochreous-brown ; the median coverts blackish-grey 

 edged around the tip with pale ochreous-brown, the lesser coverts brownish-black, the outer 

 series with whitish margins ; tail white, the central feathers strongly washed with grey, as are 

 the outer webs of the remainder, but decreasing in extent towards the outermost on either side ; 

 all the under surface white, with a pale ochreous-brown wash to most of the feathers on the 

 foreneck and upper breast. Wing measurement same as adult, ii-6 inches. In another slightly 

 older specimen, with smaller white tips to the quills and scapulars, most of the feathers on the 

 upper parts, except at the tips which are white, are almost a clear pale brown. The wing 

 measurement exceeds that of the adult, ii'75 inches. 



In Queensland and New South Wales the usual breeding season commences in June, and 

 continues till the end of December. As before mentioned these birds are nomadic in habits, 

 and after breeding freely in a district one season may not occur again there for several 

 years. Relative to the breeding season on the northern coastal rivers of New South Wales, Mr. 

 Savidge writes rne : — " I have taken the eggs of the Black-shouldered Kite in June, July, August 

 and September, and twice in November, and have found young birds as early as June." 



Elanus scriptus. 



LETTER-WIX(t ED KITE. 



Elanus scriptus, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc, IS-ti, p. 80 ; /'./., Bds. Austr., fol. Vol. L, pi. ii (1848); 

 id., Handbk. Bds. Austr., Vol.1., p. .5-5 (186.5) ; Sharpe, Cat. Bds. Brit. Mus., Vol. L, p. 340 

 (1874) ; i'L, Hand-l. Bds, Vol. I., p. 270 (1899). 



Adult m.a.le. — General colour above liylit greyish-white, passing into almost pure tvhile on (he 

 hind-neck and crotcu of (he head ; the lesser upper iving -coverts around the bend of the wing while, 

 the remainder and tin' median series black, the greater series, scapulars and innermost secondaries 

 like the back ; the remainder of the secondaries white, their outer webs pale greijish-idiilf : primaries 

 grey, suine of I hi' Imiijer vnes tipped and e.d'>r nail ij edged with brown .■ tail while, tlie central feathers 



64 



