Animal food of every kind tonus its diet, and it often kills very large and venemous snakes. 

 A fighl of this description is very interesting. The l>ird darts down continuously, peeking the snake 

 and beating him with his wings until the reptile is thoroughly exhausted. He then takes 

 him up in his beak, and Hying to a considerable distance from the ground, lets him drop. This is 

 repeated till the victim is dead, when he is borne off in triumph. 



The breeding season lasts during August and November, the eggs being deposited in a hole 

 in tin' trunk of a gum-tree. They are pearly white in colour, and are one inch and three-quarters 

 long by an inch and five-twelfths broad. 



Although lather a rare bird in aviaries, it becomes very tame in captivity and is a source 

 of endless amusement. 



(bad. white, striated with dark brown ; ear-coverts and a patch behind the eye, dark brown ; 

 bark of neck, bully w hite ; back and wings, dark brown, each feather tipped with light brown ; tail, light 

 chestnut, barred with dark brown and tipped with white ; under surface, light fawn-colour, with short 

 irregular lines of brow n ; irides, dark brown : upper mandible, dark brown ; under mandible, buff ; legs 

 and feet, brownish-black. 



Habitats : New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. 



