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57 



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after sundown all the Hawks that fly over the lake go westward. He says that this habit 

 is invariable. Why is this ? Is it that the birds prefer to roost under the high grass 

 tussocks on the sand-hills ? 



At Dunedin I obtained a very beautiful adult female of this species in which the neck 

 all round was striated with rufous, each feather being edged with that colour on both sides, 

 whilst patches of rich rufous appeared on the bend of each wing and on the upper coverts. 



Opposed as I am on principle to the killing of Hawks, because, as I have explained, of 

 its tendency to disturb the balance of nature, I confess I was compelled to wage war against 

 the Harriers at Papaitonga in order to put a stop to the perpetual molestation of my 

 introduced birds, which, from their inexperience, were completely at the mercy of these 

 marauders. By setting a bait — a dead lamb or some other similar object — I decoyed the 

 Hawks into a little hollow near the lake and shot them as they rose, thus securing a fine 

 series, of all ages, for my collection. 



Mr. Eobert Wilson writes to me from Bull's that, at the beginning of September, he 

 met with young Harriers in a cliff near the river. 



Nestling.— Covered with thick cottony down of a dark cream-colour; the quills and 

 tail feathers are the first to sprout, and then the plumage begins to appear on the back. 



Mr. Jennings showed me two downy nestlings which he took from the nest at the 

 Three Kings Islands. One of these had bright yellow irides, whilst in the other they were, 

 as usual, black. 



Professor Newton writes to me (October 31st, 1900) that in a collection of fifty birds 

 made by the late Mr. Wiglesworth in the Fiji Islands, and presented by his representatives 

 to the Cambridge Museum, there is " only one of a species not before known from the 

 islands— that is Circus wolfi, which might well be expected to occur there." * 



This, therefore, is the Fijian form and not G. gouldi, as we have hitherto supposed. 

 On the wing, or on a distant view, the two species are not distinguishable. 



HEAD OP QUAIL-HAWK. 



(See next page.) 



* Writing on the birds found on Lord Howe Island, Mr. Etheridge says: "The existence of a Hawk, Circus 

 wolfi, was determined. It frequents the North Eidge, usually in the vicinity of Mount Eliza, soaring high, and 

 carefully keeping out of reach. The bird, however, has at times, after the manner of its kind, been known to visit 

 the poultry-yards, and it is said to play great havoc with the wild birds." 



Vol. ii. — 8 



