124 NATURAL HISTORY SKETCHES. 



other, which was very dark-coloured, and in the head 

 and face resembled a harrier. The lighter bird was the 

 commonest with us. Both used to beat the swamps in 

 company, and we always shot them when we had a 

 chance, on account of their killing so many ducks ; and 

 we called both the swamp hawk. I am not, however, 

 certain that they did not do us often as much good as 

 harm, on account of driving the ducks up out of the 

 thick tea-tree and other places in the swamps which we 

 could not get at. The eye of the darker bird, unlike 

 that of the marsh, harrier, was deep brown. 



The bird which we called the Australian Kite rather 

 resembled the British kite in shape and colour, but the 

 tail was quite square and the rump white. It princi- 

 pally frequented the swamps and low ground ; but we 

 sometimes found it in timber, where I never saw the 

 swamp hawk. It did not soar so high as the kite at 

 home ; nor do I believe that it was a true kite, although 

 we called it so. None of the hawks in this country ap- 

 pear to soar very high, except the eagle-hawk. 



The Carrion Hawk, as we called it, was perhaps the 

 commonest of all, about half the size of the marsh har- 

 rier, of a dull brown colour, relieved with yellow, and a 

 dark eye. I generally found them in small timber all 

 over the bush, often in the small belts near the plains. 

 It appeared to be the most sluggish of all the species, 

 always gorged with carrion, and altogether the ugliest 

 hawk I know. 



I once shot a hawk as it rose from the heather, when 



