26 ACCIPITRES. 



Nestlinq, Eeg. No. B. 6431. " Taken from the nest near Moss- 

 giel, N.S.W., September 12, 1884." About a fortnight old, uni- 

 formlj covered with white down, hairy in texture and longest on 

 the head and hind neck, very short on the inner side of the thighs 

 and under the wings. " Iris brown, bare pla-.-e in front of the eyes 

 lead colour ; cere greenish-white ; bill, horn-colour ; black at the 

 tip ; gape yellow ; feet white, claws light horn-colour, dark at the 

 base. Total length 11 inches, wing 3, pin-feathers of the 

 primaries just beginning to show through the down, tarsus 1'3, 

 bill from forehead 1"4, from gape 1"5. 



Nestlinq, Eeg. No. B. 10145. " Taken from the nest September 

 30th, 1884 ; about two months old ; iris clear light-brown, cere 

 grecni.sh-white ; bill, basal half horn colour, remainder black ; 

 feet white." Total length 21 inches, wing 10 inches, tail 4'3, 

 tarsus 3-5, mid. toe (s.u.) 2-5, bill from forehead 22, from gape 

 2'3. This specimen is covered with short white down, excopt on 

 the wings and tail, where black pin-feathers mottled with rusty- 

 brown appear ; a small patch of narrow lanceolate feathers of 

 dark rusty-brown on the base of the occiput; the tips of a few 

 black feathers also appear thi-ough the down ; the sides of the 

 chest, breast, and the outer sides of the thighs and legs, and the 

 upper and under tail-coverts rusty. 



Nestlings, Eeg. Nos. B. 6422, and B. 6423. Taken from the 

 same nest, between three and four mouths old, have rufous 

 feathers tipped with down developing on the head, hind neck, 

 chest, wing-coverts, npper and under tail-coverts, primaries — as 

 far as developed — black ; secondaries and coverts dark -brown 

 barred with black ; tail blacidsh at the base barred with black and 

 ashy-brown towards the tip ; feathers of the lower part of the breast 

 blackish-brown tipped with fawn colour ; thighs and legs almost 

 black tipped with light brown. A second specimen, a female is 

 of the same dimensions and similarly marked. Total length 255. 

 inches, wing 14, tail 77, tarsus 3'9, " iris clear light-brown ; 

 bill, horn colour at base, remainder black ; cere bright yellow ; 

 feet yellowish, claws black, sex male. Mossgiel, October 13th, 

 1884." 



Semorks. "Asa rule this bird nests in the early part of July, 

 and the young leave the nest about the end of November ; young 

 ones have been taken as early as the 10th of July, which were 

 apparently about a week old, such instances ci" early breeding 

 a,re however rare." (K.H.B.) 



^ Ilahitat. Derby (N.W. Austr.), Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape 

 York, Hockingham Bay, Port Denisou, Wide Bay District, Daw- 

 son Eiver, Eichmond and Clarence Eivers Districts, New^ South 

 Wales, Interior, Victoria, South and AVest Australia, Tasmania. 



