Baza. 



257 



Crested Hawk to use the deserted nest of another species of Accip.tkhs. Tlie food of the 

 Crested Hawk consists mainly of insects and small lizards. I once found three lar«e green 

 mantis and a small lizard in the nest of a pair which contained three youn- birds " \ set of 

 two eggs was also received from Mr. liarnard, taken by him in the s^me locality on the 

 29th October, 1893. 



From Copmanhurst, Upper Clarence District, Mr. George Savidge writes me ■-■' The 

 Crested Hawk (Baza snhcnstata) is sparingly dispersed in the Clarence River District where 

 .t IS a resident species, and is a most useful bird, eating large numbers of locusts, beetles etc 

 It is frequently shot by the settlers, their utility being quite unknown to most of them' It 

 IS a rather late breeder, the middle of October being the earliest I have taken their e--s • 

 November and December are also its laying months. The nest is usually placed in a bus'hy 



bough of some lofty tree, and 

 is a small structure for so large 

 a bird, and can scarcely be seen 

 from the ground beneath. It is 

 made of fine sticks, and lined with 

 green gum leaves. Three eggs 

 are usually laid for a sitting. 

 The accompanying photograph 

 ut a nest was taken on Ramornie 

 Station, opposite Copmanhurst, 

 on the 15th October, 190S. This 

 nest measured eleven inches 

 across and about six inches deep, 

 is nearly flat, and contained three 

 eggs. I once found a nest built 

 low down in a Broad-leaved 

 Apple-tree ( Auf:of'hora suhvclu- 

 liiia). This is the earliest record ' 

 1 have of taking eggs of Baza 

 ^iil'cn'siafa, they usually lay in 

 November and December. I 

 have never found more than three 

 eggs, and on two occasions only 

 two incubated eggs. I ha\e taken 

 fresh eggs on the 17th and 25th 



NEST AND E(jtiB OF THE CltK.STKIl HAWK. 



November and 4th December, and incubated eggs in January." 



The eggs are usually three, rarely four, in number for a sitting, rounded oval in form some 

 specimens bemg abruptly pointed at the smaller end ; the shell is of a uniform faint bluish-white 

 unless nest stamed, close-grained, dull and lustreless. A set of three taken by Mr H g' 

 Barnard on the 22nd October, 1892, at Coomooboolaroo, Duaringa, measures :-Length (A) 

 177 X i-4inches; (6)173 x 1-38 inches ; (C) 171 x 1-4 inches. A set of three eggs" in Mr 

 George Savidge's collection, taken by him at Copmanhurst, from the nest here fic^ured 

 measures:-(A) 1-69 x 1-4 inches; (B) 171 x 1-39 inches; (C) 1-67 x i-37mches; the'latter 

 specimen has several yellowish and yellowish -grey nest stains. An unusually small sized set 

 taken by Mr. W. H. Barnard at Keilambete, Central Queensland, in November, 1S91, measures •- 

 Length (A) 1-52 x 1-25 inches; (B) 1-55 x 1-24 inches. 



Young birds resemble the adults, but have the wings and tail-feathers pale greyish-brown 

 rendermg the darker barrings on the quills and tail-feathers more conspicuous ; the apical portion 

 6.5 



