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THE AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM MAGAZINE. 



clawed and snapped at intruding hands. 

 Thus it was on the morning when their 

 home was shifted nearer to the ground. 

 Next day we visited them to see whether 

 all was well with the trio. They had 

 been fed and were fairly contented. 

 Still, they rather resented our presence. 

 Our third visit, twenty-four hours later, 

 was memorable. For the youngsters 

 seemed to recognise us, almost to bid 

 us welcome. Daily, after this, our 

 relations improved, until we were on 

 the most excellent terms with the 

 family. They made no protest when 

 we handled them. In the early stages 

 of making friends, when one baby was 

 posed on a bough, he assumed an 

 attitude of fierce defiance, as shown in 

 my photograph. 



Brown Hawks are our most abundant 

 birds of prey ; they are to be seen both 

 in town and country districts, perched 

 very often on a telegraph post. They 

 are good citizens from our point of view, 

 preying, as they do, upon mice and 

 insects, as well as lizards — though I am 

 not aware that the latter do us much 



harm, excepting, of course, the 

 '■goannas," which are destroyers of 

 eggs and young birds. 



THE GOSHAWK. 



Lately (in December, 1922) I had the 

 good fortune to be introduced to a 

 family of Australian Goshawks {Astur 

 fasciatus). They had flown from the 

 nest, which was sixty feet up in a gum 

 tree, growing in a paddock at Moorool- 

 bark, Victoria, and were camped among 

 thick foliage in a native cherry tree 

 [Exocarpiis). There, ranged in a row 

 on a horizontal bough, they remained 

 daylong, while the old birds at intervals 

 brought them food. 



When my friend, Donald Thompson, 

 who had discovered the nest, guided 

 me to the cherry tree, the young 

 Goshawks glowered, but showed no 

 signs of fear. They watched us closely, 

 though, and, when my companion 

 commenced to climb, two of the trio 

 took wing. The one that remained was 

 incapable of flight, for the nonce. He 

 had eaten, not wisely but too well, and 

 was at table still. We were shocked to 



Nest and young of the Brown Hawk. 



[Photo. — C. Barrett. 



