1920.] Western Australian Birds. T'OO 



the poultry at tlie homestead, but examination of its crop 

 proved that it had been feeding entirely on various grubs 

 and large caterpillars. 



Cerchneis cenchroides unicolor. 



Westralian Nankeen-Kestrels were observed in most 

 districts, but most numerously in the mid-west. In 1911 

 these birds were dying from some disease about the Minilya 

 River. I saw several dead, and Mr. McLeod told me that 

 he had also noticed many. 



[I have never seen a Kestrel resembling the Cerclineis 

 unicolor of Milligan, or heard of any other similar birds 

 being obtained, and consider that the figuring of that " sport " 

 as the Western Kestrel in Mathews's ' Birds of Australia ' is 

 very misleading. — T. C.j 



Pandion haliaetus cristatus. 



(July two White-headed Ospreys were seen in the south- 

 west area — viz., one near the historic nest of Mr. A. J. 

 Campbell at Cape Mentelle in March 1916, and one at the 

 mouth of the Blackwood lliver in April 1919. This species 

 is not common there, as it is further north. On 21 August, 

 1913, I saw two eggs in a nest near C;ipe Farquhar, and 

 one on G September north of Point Cloates. On 13 July, 

 1916, I found a bulky nest, about three feet in length, built 

 on bare sand at sea-level, within a few yards of high-water 

 mark, near Point Cloates. It contained a handsome pair 

 of eggs. Two other nests were built on the fiat tops of 

 iron windmill towers, the wht^els not being attached at the 

 time. I have three photographs by Mr. Geo. Baston, 

 formerly living at Maud's Landing, of the nest of an Osprey 

 built on the top of the crane at the end of the long jetty 

 there, and I have two eggs that he took from that nest on 

 8 July, 1912. He told me when I was there in 1913- that 

 on four occasions he had to pull down the nest in order to 

 work the crane, but the birds persisted in rebuilding until 

 the eggs were laid, when he was again obliged to destroy 

 the nest, and they then left. 



