THE EAGLE-HAWK. 110 



is little wonder that the study of the habits and natural 

 instincts of birds should be a favourite one with all ; and 

 to that man whose time is happilj and quietly spent in 

 the forests and the fields, it gives one of the truest zests 

 to riu-al life. 



Victoria is very rich both in species and individuals 

 of the hawk ; and this is not to be wondered at, when 

 we consider the wild nature of the country, abounding 

 as it does in every kind of food peculiar to the birds of 

 prey. 



The king of birds here is certainly the Eagle-Jiawh, or 

 Wedge-iailed Eagle, which, although inferior in size and 

 attributes to the golden eagle of Europe, is nevertheless 

 a fine powerful bird, and the largest bird of prey in the 

 colony. Tlie eagle-hawk varies much in size and colour. 

 Whether this is owing to a difference in age or sex I am 

 unable to say, but I fancied we had two distinct species ; 

 the one very dark brown, nearly black at a distance, the 

 other much lighter in plumage (I have seen one as light 

 as the European kite) ; and the two birds, in diff"erence 

 of colour, resembled the golden and white-tailed eagles 

 of Europe, but the eyes of both were dark. The dark 

 variety of our eagle-hawk was the rarest with us, and 

 was a thicker and shorter bird than the other: the tail 

 of this bird is long, and in the form of a wedge, which is 

 very apparent when it is in the air. They were by no 

 means uncommon in our district at all seasons, often in 

 pairs, both in the deep forests and on the plains, over 

 which they would soar almost out of sight, round and 



