46 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



powerful enemy. For rapidity of flight and unerring aim, 

 however, she is even surpassed by her more feeble mate, who 

 may frequently be observed at one moment skimming quietly 

 over the surface of the ground, and the next impetuously 

 dashing through the branches of the trees in fearless pursuit 

 of his prey, which, from the quickness of his abrupt tiu-ns, 

 rarely eludes the attack. Mr. Caley mentions as an instance 

 of its boldness, that he once witnessed it in the act of darting 

 at a Blue Mountain-Parrot, which was suspended in a cage 

 from the bough of a mulberry-tree, within a couple of yards 

 of his door. 



The breeding-season lasts from August to November, and 

 the nest, which is rather a large structure, composed of sticks, 

 and lined with fibrous roots and a few leaves of the gum-tree, 

 is usually placed in the fork of a swamp-oak {Casuarina) or 

 other trees growing on the banks of creeks and rivers, but is 

 occasionally to be met with in the depths of the forests. The 

 eggs are generally three in number, of a bluish white, in some 

 instances stained and smeared over with blotches of buff; in 

 others I have observed square-formed spots, and a few hair- 

 like streaks of deep brown : their medium length is one inch 

 and six lines by one inch and two lines in breadth. 



Head, all the upper surface, wings, and tail deep brownish 

 grey, the tail indistinctly barred with deep brown ; on the back 

 of the neck an obscure collar of reddish brown ; throat, the 

 under surface, and thighs rufous, crossed by numerous narrow 

 bars of white, the red predominating on the thighs ; under 

 surface of the wings and tail grey, distinctly barred with dark 

 brown, which is deepest on the former ; irides and eyelashes 

 yellow ; cere and gape yellowish green ; base of the bill lead- 

 colour, tip black ; legs yellow, slightly tinged with green. 



The young have the usually striated plumage of the imma- 

 ture European Sparrow-Hawk, and, as is the case with the 

 young of all the other members of the genus, have the irides 

 darker than those of the adults. 



