APPENDIX. 



381 



" Up to the present season (1889) the instances of this bird 

 breeding here have been very few, in fact only in two cases has 

 it come under my notice during a residence in this locality of 

 over twenty-five years, but the present season has been an excep- 

 tion, for within a radius of a few miles I have in the past three 

 or four months found no less than four nests ; the birds also have 

 been much more numerous than they have been for many years 

 previous, indeed for several preceding the present one they have 

 been entirely absent. The first nest I found on the 8 th of 

 October, the last one on the 20th of December. 



" The nest is a rough structure, very similar to that of Circus 

 assimilis, Jard. & Selby, composed outwardly of sticks, and in the 

 four I have examined, lined with small pieces of sheep's skin with 

 the wool on, picked up from carcasses of dead sheep scattered over 

 the plains. The nests are placed as a rule in the tops of Pine trees 

 Callitris sp., where the topmost branches divide forming a three 

 or more pronged fork or division, which securely holds the rough 

 flat structure in position. In two instances this year the disused 

 nests of Hieraaidea orientalis, were taken possession of, (from one 

 of which in October last I took the Hieracidea's eggs) the only 

 additions being the pieces of sheep's skin lining. The number of 

 eggs for a sitting never so far as my experience goes exceeds two. 

 As a rule the prey of this bird consists of insects, small reptiles, 

 &c., to which offal is added whenever obtainable, but this year the 

 prey judging from the quantity of remains in the nests as well as 

 on the ground beneath consists chiefly of rabbits of all sizes, 

 which considering the comparative weakness of this bird's talons 

 is somewhat singular.'' 



Two eggs in Mr. Bennett's collection, taken on the 8th of Oct. 

 are of a dull white on the outer surface, green inside when held 

 up to the light, one specimen (A) is ovoid in form, and has hair 

 lines, freckles and dots of rusty-brown scratched over the surface 

 of the shell, but particularly towards the larger end where a few 

 irregular shaped blotches appear; the other specimen (B) is rounded 

 in form, and is more sparingly and finely marked with the same 

 colour, but has no blotches, and the markings are confined princi- 



