56 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Forehead and line over the eye white ; head and all the 

 upper surface dark grey, washed with reddish brown ; wing- 

 coverts deep glossy black ; primaries greyish brown, becoming 

 nearly white on their webs, all but the first two or three 

 margined with white at the tip ; secondaries brownish grey 

 on the outer web, white on the inner and at the extremity ; 

 tertiaries brownish grey ; two centre tail-feathers grey ; the 

 remaining tail-feathers pale brown on their outer webs, and 

 white on the inner ; lores black ; all the under surface and 

 edge of the shoulder white ; on the under surface of the 

 wing, following the line of the bones, a broad mark of black, 

 assuming the form of the letter V; bill black ; cere and legs 

 yellow; claws black; irides reddish orange, and not yellow 

 as represented in my figure. 



Genus BAZA, Hodgson. 



Of this genus four species are known ; three of which in- 

 habit India and the Indian islands, and the fourth Australia. 



Sp. 25. BAZA SUBCRISTATA, Gould. 



Crested Hawk. 



Lepidogenys suhcristatus, Gould, in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part v. p. 140. 



Avicida subcristata, Lafresn. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 127. 



Baza subcristata, G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., part i. 



p. 19, 2nd edit. p. 41. 

 Pernis {Hijptiojms) subcristatus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 343. 



Lepidogenys subcristatus, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. i. 

 pi. 25. 



I am not sufficiently acquainted with this singular species 

 to give any account of its habits and economy ; but, judging 

 from the feebleness of its bill and talons and the shortness of 

 its tarsi, I conceive that it principally preys upon insects and 

 their larvae ; and it is not improbable that honey and the larvae 

 of bees and ants, which abound in Australia, may form a por- 



